Cruel Summer
by FutureMrsStabler
Summary: Elliot takes a vacation after a case goes bad and ends up with more than he bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

_Chirp. Chirp. Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet. Chirp._

A blue eye peeped open briefly before shutting quickly, its owner sinking tiredly back into the oblivion of exhaustion.

_Tweet-tweet-tweet. Chirp. Chirp-chirp._

The eye opened again, this time joined by its twin, and peered blearily across the room to see bright sunlight streaming through the thin bedroom curtains.

Elliot Stabler moaned and flipped over to face the wall, snuggling deeper under the covers.

The bird symphony began a second rendition. He yanked his pillow out from under his head and shoved it over his face, pressing it hard against his ears to drown out the distraction.

The high-pitched sounds penetrated through the material, and after a minute he gave up. Growling, he flung the pillow across the room and sat up. Turning his head to look at the clock on the nightstand, he blurrily focused on the red numbers. 6:15.

The alarm was set for 6:30. No use trying to go back to sleep. Sighing heavily, Elliot slid away from the wall and put his feet to the floor, dropping his head wearily in his hands.

It couldn't be morning yet. There was no way. He had gone to bed only four hours ago.

He loved his job. He wouldn't trade it for anything, not even something that paid more. But sometimes, the hours sucked. _Really_ sucked. So much that it made him have to fight the urge to do something crazy.

Like sleep in.

A muffled ringing caught his attention, and he looked around for his cell phone. The jeans and t-shirt he had worn last night were lying in a heap on the floor, next to the tennis shoes that he hadn't bothered to untie before flinging off. Poking under the balled-up denim, he uncovered his phone.

"Stabler," he said hoarsely, flipping it open.

"Morning," the equally-groggy voice of Olivia Benson greeted. "What time did you get to bed last night?"

"2:45," he answered, yawning hugely. "You?"

She scoffed. "1:15."

Olivia cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder and stretched widely, stepping up onto her tip toes. She finished running the tap and set the pot of water on the stove.

"Cap tell you to call me?" Elliot asked wryly, amusement creeping into his voice. He stood up and padded into the bathroom.

She grinned. "Yeah," she admitted, turning the burner on. Reaching up into the cabinet above the stove, she pulled down a box of assorted oatmeal packets and rifled through it absently. "He said that if I didn't, you'd most likely unplug the alarm clock and try to call in sick."

She heard water running on his end as she lifted out a peach-flavored packet and put the box back.

"That's not fair," Elliot said, wiping his face with a towel and struggling to keep the phone from slipping off of his shoulder. "I haven't done that in a long time."

"Oh, yeah," she retorted, ripping open the package and dumping the contents into the pot. "You did that last month, Elliot."

He rolled his eyes and went back into the bedroom, opening the closet door. He chose a shirt without really looking and tossed it on the bed. "You been stalking me?" he cracked. He heard her laugh and sighed. "I really hate these cases."

She grimaced sympathetically and moved away from the stove. "I know," she said softly. "We all do."

For the past two days, the Special Victims Unit had been working themselves to the bone trying to bust a child pornography ring. A video store owner in Manhattan had contacted them after receiving a video in the after-hours drop box that didn't belong to the store. It was a homemade cassette that featured children performing sexual acts on each other while men's voices cheered in the background.

The squad had gotten the customer's address and obtained a warrant to search the man's home. They had arrested him after finding at least two dozen similar tapes, but he had refused to tell them who or where the children in the videos were. He had gotten a lawyer before they even had a chance to work on him.

What started out as a frustrating roadblock turned into a nightmare. Two hours after taking the man into custody, a child's body was found in a dumpster by a pair of garbage men. It was confirmed from the tapes that he was one of the children in the videos.

No matter what they did, the man refused to talk. He wouldn't tell them who the boy was. All he would say was that there was going to be plenty more if they didn't let him go right away.

He hadn't been kidding. Thirty minutes later, while the man was still in their custody, the body of a young girl was found beside the Long Island Expressway.

But even with this new discovery, the DA had told them that they had to let the man go free because they couldn't prove that he had anything to do with the deaths of either child. Captain Cragen had been absolutely livid, insisting that they had enough evidence to pin the guy to both of the murders, or at the very least, as an accessory to them.

The DA had been adamant, however, and they had no choice but to obey his orders. The guy had laughed at them when he walked out of the squad room, and it had taken all of Elliot's self-control not to pounce and beat the living shit out of him. They all knew he was the cause of this, but because their job was to uphold the law, they couldn't do anything without evidence.

What followed was an order from Cragen to do whatever it took to get the man legally held accountable, which in other words translated into a marathon of searches through missing children's archives and pedophiles rap sheets. Elliot, Olivia, Munch, and Fin had literally spent an entire day pouring through the mass amounts of files, and had only gotten maybe seven hours of sleep between the four of them.

The next day was nothing but a repeat of the first. Tempers were on edge and exhaustion was evident in everyone's attitudes. The captain began to send them home two at a time once the hour began to get later. By the time Olivia and Elliot's turn had come, it was past midnight.

He had no idea how he'd done it, but Elliot had somehow managed to stay coherent enough to make the hour-long drive back to Queens. As soon as he walked in the door, he had gone upstairs and flopped straight into bed.

"I really hope we get a break in the case," she continued, stirring the oatmeal with a spoon. "God knows how many other kids he has stashed out there somewhere."

The idea made Elliot physically sick. No matter how many years he worked on putting pedophiles away, each one still left him angry and saddened. He suspected it would always be that way. Some cops were able to harden themselves after a while and not let emotions break through their tough shells. Elliot wasn't one of them, and neither were any of his colleagues.

"I'll see you in a bit, Liv," he said, choosing not to comment on her statement. "I've got to jump in the shower."

"Ok," she said. She stirred the oatmeal one last time and picked up the pot, placing it on a cool burner. "Your turn for Starbucks?"

"Hell yes," he answered. "I'm stopping on my way in. Mocha Frapaccino?"

She smiled. "Of course," she said matter-of-factly. "And a blueberry scone."

His eyebrows shot up in amusement. "What am I, your waiter now?" he teased. "You better tip well."

She snorted. "Depends on how good of a job you do."

He laughed out loud. "Screw you," he chuckled. "Bye."

"Bye," she laughed, hanging up.

Thirty minutes later, Elliot was walking out of Starbucks balancing two cardboard containers of coffee and a bag of pastries. His phone rang as he reached his truck. Setting the items on the roof of the Explorer, he reached for it as he unlocked the door.

"Stabler," he said, reaching up to take the containers off.

"How you doing, you scumbag?" the caller asked coolly.

He almost dropped the coffee when he recognizing the voice. "Mother of God!" he cried excitedly, sliding the containers into the empty seat next to him. "Jesse Fox?"

His friend laughed. "No, it's Bill fucking Clinton," he cracked in amusement.

Elliot had met Jesse when he was in the Marines, and the two had become best friends. They were assigned to the same platoon and each had a different reason for being there- Elliot was trying to support a new family and Jesse had joined to spite his father, who he wasn't on good terms with.

Both of them were young and scared shitless, not having any clue what to do or expect. Elliot had buried his fear inside, coming off as quiet and even shy at times, whereas Jesse had covered his up with cockiness and brash openness. Their personalities were nothing alike, and yet they had clicked instantly.

After their stint ended, they had parted ways- Elliot was going home to New York, and Jesse was off to California, chasing a dream to be a pilot. Elliot had taken him to the airport, and after the plane took off he had gotten into his car and broken down. It was the first time in his life that he had ever cried over the loss of a friend.

After serving as best man in he and Kathy's wedding, Jesse had gone to Washington to apply for a position in the Air Force academy. They had attempted to keep in touch via letters and an occasional phone call, but each had become so busy that communications tapered off.

"You dirtball!" Elliot said affectionately, starting the ignition. "How the hell you been, man?"

"Not too bad," Jesse replied, grinning. "I served another five years in the Marines a few years after our stint, and after that I got a job training fighter pilots."

"That's great!" Elliot said enthusiastically.

"Yeah," he agreed. "How about you? You still in the service?"

"Nah," Elliot answered. "I actually became a cop…been one for almost 15 years now."

"No shit!" Jesse said. "I can't picture you as a cop…you were always so quiet when we were younger."

Elliot laughed out loud. "Well, things have changed a little," he said. "I've got a file full of disciplinary slips to prove it!"

Jesse laughed too. "Hey, alright!" he said. "See, I told you we'd get you to cross over to the dark side, Choir Boy."

The nickname warmed Elliot's insides as memories long forgotten came flooding back. He had been dubbed "Choir Boy" by his platoon after they had found out about how he'd gone to Catholic school his entire life. When he told them about conceiving Maureen out of wedlock, they had feigned shock and threatened to write a letter to the Church telling the Pope to come kick his ass.

"So…not to sound like a jackass," Elliot said, turning onto the Manhattan exit. "But I haven't heard from you in, like…a decade. What do you want?"

"Way to not sound like a jackass, you jackass," Jesse said lightly.

Elliot smiled, hearing the laughter in his voice and knowing he wasn't mad.

"Me and a bunch of guys I work with just finished training a huge batch of academy rookies for their first takeoff, and the Commander was so impressed that he gave us a two-week window of vacation time as a reward," Jesse explained. "We're planning on heading to the North Shore in Hawaii….we need one more in order to get this vacation package from the insurance company, and I was wondering if you'd be interested."

Elliot was unable to stop the thrill from shooting through his body at the thought of two weeks in the sun and sand. But his brain immediately caught up.

_There's no way I can take a vacation right now. Who knows when we'll get a break in this case? Even if we got this one wrapped, there will be another one…there's always another rapist, another pedophile. _

"Fuck, Jess," he said, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. "That would be so damn excellent. But I can't leave work…there's too much going on right now. I'm sorry."

There was silence for a minute. "Shit, Elliot," Jesse said, his own voice dejected. "Me, too, man. I was really looking forward to seeing you again."

The two men lapsed into quiet. Elliot felt horrible. "Well…that's alright," Jesse said finally. "We can catch up another time, then."

"Sure," Elliot said quietly. "I'd like that."

"I'll call you when we get back," he continued, trying to sound upbeat for his friend's sake. "We can make plans to get together."

"That would be great," Elliot answered. He pulled into the precinct parking lot. "Listen, I'm sorry, Jesse…I have to go. Thanks for calling… it was really good to hear from you."

"Same here," Jesse replied. "Keep in touch, huh?"

"You can count on it," he said. "Bye."

"Bye."

The call disconnected. Elliot sighed and leaned his head back against the seat. After a minute, he opened the door and collected the bags and containers before locking the truck.

A few minutes ago, his stomach was growling in anticipation of the sweet smell coming from the paper bag he was holding. Now, his appetite was completely gone. He knew that it wasn't rational to be angry…he chose this job and knew that sacrifices came with the territory. But it still didn't take away the raw ache of disappointment that had settled deep inside his chest.

Sighing heavily, he entered the precinct and headed for the elevators.

Olivia looked up anxiously when she heard the doors open and all but pounced on her partner as he walked inside.

"Geez, Liv!" he said in surprise, quickly handing her the bag she was grabbing at before he dropped it. She rifled through it quickly and pulled out her scone, shoving the bag back at him and walking back to their desk.

Elliot put a hurt look on his face and pretended to be put out. "Good morning to you, too," he pouted playfully, coming to the desk as well.

She grinned through a huge bite of blueberry pastry. "Mmmgig," she attempted to say with her mouth full. She laughed and clapped a hand over her mouth to catch the food from spraying everywhere.

He rolled his eyes and removed their coffees from the tray.

Olivia swallowed. "Morning," she repeated more clearly. "Thanks." She indicated the pastry appreciatively and smiled again.

Digging through the bag, he pulled out a bagel for himself and set in on a napkin before setting it and the trays beside the coffee pot for the others.

Munch walked in as he was heading back for his desk. He noticed the refreshments immediately and walked over to inspect them. "What'd you get?" he asked, starting to pull out the pastries.

Olivia took a huge sip of the cold coffee drink to wash down the scone.

"Black coffee for you," Elliot answered, sticking a straw in his caramel macchiato and taking a sip. "And two sesame bagels with cream cheese."

John looked at him in shock as he was pulling the items out of the bag. "Ok," he said slowly. "Who are you, and where is the real Elliot Stabler?"

He smirked and cut his eyes at his colleague as Munch lifted out his coffee. Setting it down, he poked through the bag again and looked around the cardboard trays. "Hey, where's the Hazelnut creamer?"

"They charged extra for it," Elliot said. "Seventy-five cents a shot...give me a break."

"Never mind," John said, scooping up his breakfast and heading for his own desk. "He's the real Elliot Stabler."

Olivia laughed, almost choking on her coffee. Her partner shot her a dirty look. "Fine," he vowed. "See if I ever do anything nice for you guys again, you ungrateful brats."

"Hey, now…" Fin came in and caught the last of his sentence. He raised his eyebrows at Elliot. "That's not fair…don't judge us by out worst specimens."

"Hey!" Olivia cried, tossing a balled-up napkin at him. "Who are you calling 'worst specimens'?"

"You, obviously," Fin said, cracking a grin. He noticed then that they all had breakfast. "Hey, what's with this? Share the wealth."

"Why would we share with you?" his partner interjected, swallowing. "You just insulted us."

"No," he corrected. "_Elliot_ just insulted you…I was simply stating the obvious."

Elliot laughed. "Bag's by the coffee machine," he said. "Blueberry muffin and green tea, right?"

"God bless you," Fin said, making a beeline for it.

Taking another bite of his bagel, Elliot looked through his inbox to see if any more files had appeared since he had last checked. Nope. The same ones were still there, waiting for him to keep procrastinating over.

"Hate to break up the breakfast club," Cragen boomed, stepping out from his office when he saw that everyone had arrived. "CSU found another victim this morning." He dropped a file down on Elliot's desk. "A little girl."

The caramel beverage swirled in his stomach. Elliot dropped the bagel and shoved it to the side, his appetite completely squelched. "Lovely," he muttered, getting to his feet.

Olivia shoved the last bite into her mouth and quickly wiped her hands on the napkin before standing as well.

"You two," Cragen continued, addressing Munch and Fin. "Warner has the autopsy reports done on our first boy."

Munch sighed as he stood. "Another glorious beginning to another glorious day chasing down the sick freaks of New York," he said cynically. "And they wonder why the city is so unfriendly."

Fin rolled his eyes, leading the way out the door.

"That makes three kids in less than 72 hours," Olivia said, getting up from her crouched position next to the body. She looked at Elliot grimly. "He's starting to get cocky."

Elliot couldn't bring himself to look at the little girl any longer, and turned an angry glare down the alley instead. "He's gloating," he said through clenched teeth. "We caught him once and couldn't hold him…it's his way of rubbing it in our faces."

Olivia didn't speak as she watched her partner walk away. She knew all too well that it was better to just let him stew when he got like this. Elliot had a tendency to turn his anger inside into fury and lash out at the first thing that crossed his path. She didn't feel like adding the fuel to his fire today.

"Cause of death was a broken neck," Melinda Warner said to the two men. "Tissue damage and massive internal hemorrhaging indicate that he was sodomized pre-mortem."

"Bastard," Fin swore angrily. "Rapes the kid and breaks his neck so he can't scream."

Munch was gazing at the body of the African-American boy. "Any way to tell how long he was dead before the guy dumped him?" he asked softly.

She sighed heavily, pulling off her protective cap and shaking her hair loose. "Judging from the exposure and condition of the body," she said grimly. "I'd guess anywhere from 12-24 hours."

The two detectives stared silently at the limp form as she covered it again.

Cragen looked at Fin and John as they came back into the squad room. Elliot and Olivia had arrived back a half-hour before, and he knew by their expressions that they hadn't found any evidence with the body. He turned anxiously toward them, hoping that they'd had better luck.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Kid was raped," Fin said. "Warner said that the time of death was anything between 12 hours and a day before we found him. No trace of semen or hair to use as a sample."

"We don't need one," Elliot burst out angrily from his chair. "We'd be idiots to think it's not this same bastard." He looked at the captain, shaking his head. "How many more innocent kids have to die before the DA will become convinced?"

"It doesn't matter," Olivia said, shaking her head angrily. "We need to catch the guy again before we can convict him…and he's making sure we know he's not going down easy."

"Alright," Cragen said, before Elliot could say something else. "All we can do is concentrate on bringing him down. So, let's go over what we have so far."

Olivia picked up her notepad and flipped through it. "Victim number one, found at 11 am Tuesday morning in a dumpster."

"Victim number two, found at 1 pm Tuesday afternoon beside the L.I.E," Fin said, picking up where she left off.

"And this morning's victim," the captain concluded. He paused, thinking. "Did any of the other children show any sign of sexual force?"

Fin narrowed his eyes. "No," he said, flipping through his notes. "The first one was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, the second from strangulation. No wounds or indication of rape in either one."

"So he's escalated from kiddie porn to rape homicide," Cragen said. "This guy's getting ballsy."

The phone ringing from inside the office interrupted what he began to say next. He turned toward the door.

"I'd like to cut his balls off," he heard Elliot say threateningly as he stepped inside. "That ought to send a message."

"Cragen," he answered, picking up the receiver.

"I just can't believe that no one has seen this guy since we cut him loose," Olivia said in irritation. "There had to be at least 50 detectives in here Tuesday who looked straight at him."

"Looks like you got your wish," Cragen said grimly, stepping out into the room again.

Elliot whipped around immediately. "We got a sighting?"

He nodded contritely, and it was then that the four noticed the look of defeat on his face. "CSU just found his body in a ditch by the expressway," he said.

The detectives' expressions went from shocked to moroseness.

Cragen shook his head angrily and sighed sadly. "Guy committed suicide."

Two hours later, the captain was startled by the squad room doors banging open loudly. Looking up from his work, he saw Elliot stalk into the room, followed a minute later by the other three.

"That's just great," Elliot said angrily, going over to the coffeepot. He filled a cup and slammed the pot down. "Forget about the children who the guy murdered. Forget about the families who had their kids dumped like trash on the side of the road. The guy's dead; case closed."

Shaking his head, he went over to his chair and slammed himself down into it. The captain looked at Olivia questioningly.

"His lawyer talked to the DA," she said bitterly. "He's dismissing the case on the grounds that we no longer have probable cause to investigate now that the guy is dead."

Cragen was stunned. "Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"Great country we live in, isn't it?" Munch asked angrily. "Three dead children aren't enough to get an arrest, but one dead pedophile is enough to throw out the case."

The captain looked at his team. They were all angry, frustrated, and saddened, and had every right to be. Times like these were what made the job seem worthless.

"I'm sorry, guys," he said.

No one replied.

Elliot gulped a sip of the hot liquid, burning the back of his throat. "It isn't right," he said softly. "A boy was killed while we had the guy in custody…_in custody_! There could be a whole team of people out there murdering more kids right now, and we can't do a damn thing about it."

He took another gulp and angrily heaved the half-full cup at the trash can. The coffee splattered against the side of the plastic loudly, but he made no effort to clean it up.

Cragen sighed. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "There's no use dwelling over this…it will only make it worse. It's out of our hands."

He stopped, looking each of them over for a response to his words. They all looked so depressed that it worried him.

"We've still got rapists out there," he said. "We've got no choice guys….we have to move on."

Olivia shook her head angrily and snatched a folder from her inbox, sighing in defeat.

"Yeah, move on," Munch said, scoffing, as he stood. "There are plenty of other kids out there being mutilated and tortured to make up for these." He stalked over to the file cabinet and began rifling through it roughly.

The captain watched him for a minute sympathetically, eyeing his partner next.

"Sure," he said bitterly, noticing the look. "Nothing like another rapist to get the spirits up."

Cragen was surprised at his words; Fin was usually the most easygoing out of the group.

Pursing his lips, he then allowed his gaze to wander to Elliot. The angry little outbursts so far had been surprisingly mild for him…he was always the one that Cragen worried about during cases like this.

The man's temper and hot-headedness had set him on a road to destruction, and each time Don found himself wondering if the case they were working on would be the one to send him over the edge. He hadn't fired a detective in over thirteen years- he would rather get fired himself. But if he had to be truthful, he knew that if things kept up the way they were, Elliot Stabler was going to be the one in the most danger of losing his job.

Cragen was doing everything humanly possible to keep that from happening, including being too lenient on issues that he knew deserved punishment. But he knew Elliot for the man he was outside of being a cop, and that man was golden. So golden that, if he had to, Cragen would go to the end of the earth to keep from being hurt.

He watched Elliot sigh and get to his feet. He walked out of the squad room without a word.

Elliot walked to the end of the hall and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and leaned against the wall, sighing and scrubbing his eyes. His insides were wound so tight that he was afraid his ribs were going to snap.

"Hey," he said wearily, when Jesse picked up. "Is that offer still good?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

Olivia looked up when her partner came back into the squad room. She suspected he had gone to either calm himself or explode. She hadn't heard anything that resembled a wall being punched or something heavy being thrown, so she hoped it had been the former and not the latter.

It surprised her when he didn't come back to the desk, heading instead for the captain's office and knocking on the door. He went inside after a minute, and the door shut behind him.

She allowed a worried gaze to fix on the door as it closed. For both their sakes, she hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Don was surprised when Elliot continued to stand in the doorway after shutting the door, but it changed to concern when he saw the slumped posture and look of defeat on his face. He hadn't seen that in a long time.

"Elliot,' he acknowledged.

He stared at the younger man, waiting for him to come inside, but he didn't move. Cragen raised his eyebrows.

"You want to have a seat?" he continued questioningly, gesturing to the chairs.

Every so often, Elliot would come to him after a case was particularly rough. Cragen knew how proud the man was, and felt privileged to be someone he trusted to confide in. But it worried him, because it only happened when Elliot felt like he was about to lose it.

The detective sighed heavily and walked over to the offered seat, flopping down into it.

He waited again, but Elliot said nothing. Cragen had to bite back a small laugh at how much it felt like he was a father trying to pry information out of his son. Setting aside the work he had been doing, Don folded his elbows on his desk and gave Elliot his full attention.

"Something wrong?" he asked, his tone light.

The younger man sucked on his lip for a minute before meeting the captain's eyes. He looked to be considering his words carefully.

"You ever just think…what's the point?" he said finally.

The captain pursed his lips thoughtfully, but didn't speak; sensing that all he really wanted to do was vent at the moment.

Elliot sighed again, shaking his head. "We spend all of our energy trying to fool ourselves into believing we're making a difference," he continued bitterly. His looked up and pinned the captain with a hard stare. "It's a joke. We're not doing anything."

Don returned the stare and held it. Elliot was the one to break it, looking down and shaking his head again.

"Do you want to quit?" he asked point-blank, knowing full well that he had no intention of doing so. "You've been here almost 12 years…sooner or later even the best cops burn out."

Elliot looked at him with silent despair in his eyes. The captain looked at him warmly and got up, crossing around the desk to drop into the chair next to him.

"Elliot, I know you're dedicated to this job," he said. "I have no question about that. But trying to take on the world will only make you go insane. It's just not possible. You know that no matter how hard we try, we can't save everyone."

The detective's face drooped, and Cragen sighed. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "All you can do is your best. And you do…you've never let me down."

"Yeah," Elliot said roughly. "It's just….hard sometimes."

"I know," he said with conviction. "Believe me…I understand. Cases like this one stay with you. That's what makes a good cop. But you have to let it rest and concentrate on the victims we can help. That's what makes a great cop. You know as well as anyone that there's never a shortage of people who need us."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah," he repeated. Dropping his head, he scrubbed at his eyes again. He looked up a minute later and sought the captain's eyes. "Sorry."

Don smiled softly and shrugged one shoulder good-naturedly. "I understand," he said, giving his shoulder a squeeze before releasing it. "It comes with the job."

Elliot nodded, giving him a small smile. The captain returned it and got up to go back to his desk as the detective stood up.

"Thank you, Captain," he said, looking at him intently.

Cragen met the blue gaze and smiled. "Anytime," he replied, dropping his eyes back down to his work.

After listening for the door to open and hearing nothing, he lifted his head again. Elliot was still standing in front of his desk, looking at the ground. He looked to be in deep thought.

"Is…there something else, Elliot?" Don asked in confusion, his eyebrows raised.

Elliot looked at him in hesitation. "Well….yeah," he stammered awkwardly. He squinted one eye shut almost bashfully. "Actually, um…" The words drew out slowly as he was trying to figure out the best way to approach the issue.

"I was….kind of wondering if it would be alright if…if I took a break for a little while," he said. The captain's face registered surprise and he hurriedly rushed on, "Well, it's…it's just that this case really got to me. I think that I need some time to get my head together."

Cragen knew that the look on his face must have seemed shocked, but he couldn't help it.

This was coming from the man who he'd had to repeatedly threaten and force into taking leave in past cases? Psychiatric services knew him on a first-name basis….the one who often expressed "excessive rage" and "internal disturbance"…the one who they strongly recommend that Don "keep a watchful eye on" during cases….he was actually _admitting_ to needing a break?

As if he was reading his mind, Elliot smirked suddenly. "I know, I know," he said, ducking his head sheepishly. "Call in the press… Stabler is actually admitting to weakness."

Don snapped out of it quickly, shaking his head slightly to focus. "Sorry," he said. "I admit… I am surprised." He saw the way Elliot looked at him and hastened to get serious. "I'm glad to see you putting your own health before work for a change. How much time are we talking here?"

"Uh…." Elliot shifted from one foot to the other nervously and put on his most charming face. "Two weeks?" he asked hopefully.

Cragen immediately fixed him with a look. He grimaced. "Week and a half?"

The captain shook his head, sucking on his bottom lip to keep from laughing. Elliot was looking at him like a dog whose owner had just said the word "outside". After a minute, his restraint broke and he chuckled.

"Alright, detective," he said, smiling and shaking his head again. He saw Elliot visibly relax and smile sheepishly. "A week and a half paid vacation starting….tomorrow?"

"Sure," Elliot quickly agreed, nodding. "That's great. That's great. Thank you."

Cragen made a note on his desk organizer reminding him to go into the employee database before he left. "You got someplace in mind?" he asked as he jotted with a pencil.

"Hawaii," Elliot answered quickly. The captain's head shot up in surprise. "North Shore."

Noticing the look on Cragen's face, he quickly explained, "An old friend from the Marines called me this morning. He and some buddies are headed there for two weeks and asked me to tag along."

His expression had turned worried again, as he was thinking that the captain might change his mind once he knew what he was planning to do. Cragen stared at him, and he held his breath tensely.

"Sounds like fun," he said finally. "Bring us back some pictures."

Don watched Elliot smile in relief, but it quickly faded. He looked at him in question.

"Wait," he said, his expression conflicted. "Olivia-"

The captain cut him off with a hand. "Don't worry about Olivia," he said. "She can work with Munch and Fin for a week."

"Well…maybe I should talk to her," Elliot said, shaking his head. There was anxiety in his voice now. "This might not be a good time. Maybe I should-"

"Elliot," Don interrupted, stopping him mid-sentence. He looked at him in disbelief. "For goodness sake….you're allowed to think of yourself once in a while."

Again, Elliot looked at him sheepishly. Don smiled. "Go," he said. "Relax. Have a good time. You deserve it."

The answering smile was wide and genuine. "Thank you," he repeated. "I really appreciate it, Captain."

He smiled again and nodded. Elliot took that as his cue and turned around, opening the office door.

"Hey, Captain?" he asked, sticking his head back in. A devilish smile was on his face now. "Any chance of a raise in the next day or two?"

Don scoffed in annoyed amusement and just looked at him in disgust. Elliot shrugged, grinning. "Just….thought I'd give it a shot."

The door closed. Cragen shook his head, chuckling, and went back to his work.

When he stepped out of the office, he saw that his partner was looking at him anxiously and decided to have fun with her.

He screwed up his face into a scowl and walked to their desk. Grabbing the back of his chair, he pushed it aside roughly and began angrily stacking his files, slamming each one down.

Peeking up slightly, he glanced at Olivia. She looked worried.

"What happened?" she asked in trepidation

Her eyebrows jumped when he threw his head up and glared at her. "Do you have a problem working with Munch and Fin?" he asked.

Confusion knitted her brows. "No," she answered slowly. "Why would I-?" He stared at her and watched her eyes widen as she got it.

"Oh, no," she said. She looked at him in disbelief. "You-Cragen suspended you?"

He didn't reply, and she took that as a yes. Her mouth dropped in horror. "_Why_?" she exclaimed. "Because of this case? Good lord….we're all upset over this!"

Elliot tried to keep it up longer, but her expression was priceless. His face broke into a smile and he laughed.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Man, you are easy," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"You…didn't get suspended?" she asked slowly.

"It's good to see you have so much faith in me, partner," he teased.

The laughter in his eyes was contagious, and she found herself grinning a minute later. "Aren't you just a barrel of laughs today," she said indignantly. "What happened? Did you find a prize in your cereal box this morning?"

He smirked. "Actually, I did, come to think of it," he cracked. "A little transformer dude."

She rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"Seriously, though," he said, sobering. "I would like to know if you have a problem working with them for a week or so."

Seeing he was now serious, Olivia immediately became concerned. "Did something happen?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah," he said quickly. "Look, this morning I got a call from an old Marine buddy. He's taking a vacation with some colleagues and wants me to go."

"Good friend?" she asked.

"Best friend," he said immediately. Seeing her look, he quickly amended, "Well…best _male_ friend." He flashed a grin, which she returned.

"Where you going?" she asked.

"Hawaii."

Her jaw dropped again. "Damn!" she exclaimed. "That's some vacation."

He smiled widely. "Tell me about it," he said. "But, really….if you need me to stay here, I'll call and let them know. The job comes first."

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked. "You are definitely _not_ passing this up! I refuse to let you."

He looked at her in surprise, and she fixed him with a stern look.

"Don't give me that look," she said. "You haven't taken a vacation since we became partners, Elliot. Go have fun. I insist."

"Well….if you insist," he said, unable to keep the huge smile at bay. "Thanks. I owe you."

She smiled too. "See if you're still saying that next week when I shove all of my reports on you."

The day dragged on for Elliot. He must have checked his watch a total of fifty times. At seven pm, Olivia finally had enough.

"Go home, Elliot," she said. "I'll finish this." She gestured to the reports they had been working on since five.

He looked at her, a guilty look immediately crossing his face. "Sorry, Liv," he said in embarrassment, realizing he had been caught checking his watch again. He reached for another file. "That's the last time, I promise."

She reached across the divide and snatched the file, startling him. "No, I'm serious," she persisted. "You have an early flight…you need sleep. Go home."

He opened his mouth to argue, and she glared fiercely at him. "Don't make me kick your ass, Stabler."

His mouth fell open in surprise and he laughed out loud. "Ok, ok," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "You win." He put down the pen.

She watched him like a hawk. "Don't even think about taking any files with you, either," she said, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

At his shocked look, she smiled smugly. "I know you, Elliot. We can survive a week without you. New York isn't going to crumble, I promise."

He glared at her, and she couldn't resist. "It'll be a vacation for us, too," she teased, grinning at his sour look.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," he said indignantly. "See if I bring you anything back."

"You better," she said threateningly. "I want one of those flower lei things…and don't even think about stopping at the gas station on the way back and getting a plastic one, either, buddy."

He smiled. "You know me too well." Stacking his files neatly, he left them on his desk and got ready to go.

"Hey," she said, as he was turning around. "You need a wake-up call tomorrow?"

She was grinning evilly, but he knew that she was also serious. "Uh…no," he said, shooting her a look. "Thanks, but I can do without you waking me up at one in the morning just to be a smartass."

"Ooh…" she said, feigning hurt. She smiled after a minute, unabashed, and he nodded.

"I know _you_ too well, Olivia," he said, winking. "See ya."

"See ya," she echoed, grinning.

He pulled out his cell phone as he got onto the interstate. Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he waited as it connected.

"Hello?"

"Hey," he said to Jesse. "I got the ok from my boss."

"Awesome!" Jesse exclaimed. "This will be great man. What time does your flight leave?"

Elliot grimaced. "6 am," he said begrudgingly. "Twelve hours with no connecting flight…hey, isn't there a time difference in Hawaii?"

"Hell if I know," he scoffed. "I guess we'll find out, huh?"

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, I guess we will," he said. "What about you? When does yours leave?"

"Me and the guys are catching the red-eye from Seattle tonight at midnight," Jesse answered. "We're so ready to go it's not even funny, dude. That's better for us, at least…we won't have as much jet lag when we get there."

"Ha," Elliot scoffed dryly. "Lucky you."

"Don't worry about it," Jesse insisted. "You won't miss anything, man. We'll probably be sleeping all day anyway…I'll come pick you up once you get there tomorrow night."

"Sounds good," he replied.

There was silence for a minute. Jesse broke it. "So….what's going on, Elliot?" he asked. "I mean, God….we really haven't talked in forever. How're Kathy and the kids? How many do you have….four, right?"

Elliot felt his chest constrict momentarily. He sighed softly, turning his attention to the road for a minute. "Well…uh, the kids are fine," he ventured finally. "Maureen, my oldest, she's a sophomore at Hudson University. My middle girl Kathleen just started her senior year of high school, and Lizzie and Dickie are in eighth grade."

"Yeah….I remember them. I saw them at the hospital when they were born," Jesse said, thinking back. "Twins, right?"

"Right," he answered, smiling proudly. Talking about his kids always made him smile.

"And Kathy?" he continued, grinning teasingly. "She still as hot as I remember?"

It was a running joke between them. Elliot had showed him a picture of wife-to-be when they were in the Marines, six months before the wedding, and Jesse had joked that he was going to steal her away.

His heart throbbed painfully, but he forced a smile. "Kath-Kathy's….she's great," he said awkwardly, thinking it ironic that he actually had no idea how she was. It had been over a month since the last time they had spoken, and it was only a brief minute about a weekend with the kids that she'd had to switch.

"Uh-oh," Jesse continued to tease, hearing the hesitation in his friend's voice. "Trouble in paradise, buddy?"

The stab in his heart throbbed again, and Elliot had to bite back a harsh reply as he remembered that his friend had no idea what had happened…the last time they had spoken, he and Kathy were perfect.

"Well…..actually," he stammered awkwardly. "It's-it's kind of…." Sighing, he stopped and took a calming breath. "She left me, Jesse. Took the kids with her….we've been divorced a little over two years now."

Jesse's jaw dropped in shock, and he immediately felt guilty. "Damn, Elliot," he said after a minute. His voice was deadly serious now. "I'm sorry. I didn't…Jesus, man. I'm really sorry."

Elliot swallowed hard. "It's alright," he managed. "Shocked me too."

Jesse went silent again, cursing himself inwardly. _Great going, asshole, _he berated himself. "Are you….okay?" he asked awkwardly.

Swallowing again, Elliot rolled down the window a bit to cool the flush that had suddenly taken over his face. "I'll be better tomorrow," he said lightly, trying to steer the conversation away from such heavy topics.

Jesse chuckled, recognizing and accepting the tactic. "Hey, I hear ya," he said. "Just get me some coconut rum and I'll be good."

That made Elliot laugh as he remembered the boy in the corp who could never hold his liquor. "Oh, Lord," he said. "I hope you can hold your rum better than you could twenty years ago!"

Jesse laughed too, having forgotten about that. "Oh, yeah," he said, chuckling. "I'd definitely say I've improved in that area!"

The headlights reflected off of the windows as he pulled into his apartment complex. "Alright, man," Elliot said, parking. "Look, I'm home now. I'm going to jump in the shower and hit the sack."

"Sure," he agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow night, buddy. This will be great…we're going to have such a blast."

"I hope so," Elliot said, smiling. "See ya tomorrow." He heard the click in his ear and hung up himself.

It was 8:15 when he stepped inside the apartment. Crossing to the living room, he turned on the TV for background noise and went up to his bedroom.

He pulled his large military-issue duffle out of the back of his closet and tossed it onto his bed. Standing, he then surveyed the selection of clothes he had hanging up. After a minute, he wrinkled his nose and shut the closet door.

Going over to the dresser, he pulled out several t-shirts and tossed them into the bag, followed by jeans and shorts. He dug out socks and underwear, adding them to the pile, then went into the bathroom to retrieve his shaving kit.

Once that was accomplished, Elliot opened the top drawer of his dresser and began hunting for a swimsuit. Five minutes later, after emptying the entire drawer onto the floor, he had still found no swimsuit.

"Hmm," he said out loud, biting his lip in thought. Leaving the mess on the floor, he went into the closet again and searched the bottom, kicking aside shoes, belts, and a few rumpled shirts that had fallen victim to the bottomless pit. Stepping back, he thought for another minute before stepping up onto one of the shelves he had built into the wall of the closet and looking on the top of the wardrobe.

No swimsuit. "Well, fuck," he said, in bewilderment. "Where the hell is it?"

He climbed down and shut the door. It wasn't that big of a deal; he could always buy one when he got to Hawaii. Deciding that sounded better than searching all night, Elliot lifted the clothes off of the floor and shoved them back into the drawer, not bothering to fold or organize anything.

He tossed his toothbrush into the bag after brushing his teeth and zipped it up, tossing it on the floor at the foot of his bed. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he plugged it into the charger and headed for the shower.

A half-hour later, after turning off the downstairs light and locking the door, he crawled into bed. Reaching beside him, he set his alarm for 4:30 and turned on the TV. He flipped the lights off and settled under the blankets.

"_Your dad caught you smoking, man, he said 'NO WAY!'…that hypocrite smokes two packs a day…man, living at home is such a drag…your mom threw away your best porno mag."_

Elliot grunted, stretching out. His dream dissipated as noise rudely intruded.

"_Your mom breaks in and says, 'WHAT'S THAT NOISE?'…aw, Mom you're just jealous, it's the Beastie Boys!"_

His eyes popped open and he lay still in confusion as music blared next to his head. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed suddenly, shooting up.

The clock said 5 am. Slapping the alarm off, Elliot shot out of bed quickly. _Damn it!_

Thanks to quick reflexes and a little bit of speeding, he made it to the airport in time to check his bag and get his ticket. Amazingly, his flight was scheduled to leave on time.

After finding his seat in coach, he extracted a small Walkman from his bag before shoving it in the overhead compartment. He put on the headphones and sat back, waiting for takeoff.

The flight attendant came over the loudspeaker a minute later. Elliot removed the headphones and listened as she instructed them on what to do in an emergency and told them to fasten their seatbelts.

A minute later, the engines roared, and a surge of adrenaline ran through him. It had been a long time since he had flown. When the plane began to move, he found himself clutching the armrests.

The older man sitting beside him looked at him in knowing sympathy. "My son hates to fly, too," he said to him. Elliot looked at him and smiled weakly, but his heart was hammering too quickly for him to speak.

"I always told him to close his eyes and concentrate on something else during takeoff," the man continued. He gestured to Elliot's Walkman.

The idea seemed like ludicrous to Elliot. The plane suddenly dropped a few feet as the wheels were lifted, and he gasped out loud. Quickly looking around in embarrassment, he decided he had nothing to lose and followed the man's advice. He put his headphones back on and screwed his eyes tightly shut.

One of his favorite rock songs was playing and he cranked up the volume, starting to relax. He had gone through three songs when a hand dropped onto his arm. Startled, he opened his eyes to see the older man smiling at him. He lifted the earphones off.

"You made it," he said, pointing.

Elliot turned to see clouds out the window. He turned back to face the man in surprise. "Wow," he said. "Thanks for the advice. I wasn't even thinking about it."

"It's amazing what the human mind is capable of," the man said. He smiled. "Glad I could help." He stuck out his hand and said, "Bill Sherman."

"Elliot Stabler," he said, shaking it. "How old is your son?"

"He just turned 50," Bill said. "How about you? Any kids?"

He smiled. "Yeah," he said. "Four. Two of them are twins."

The man's face lit up. "You don't say!" he said. "I have a twin."

"Really?" Elliot asked, in surprise. "No kidding."

"Yep," Bill said, nodding. "Eva and I just turned 75 last November. You believe that?"

Elliot smiled. "No way," he chuckled. "You don't look a day over 74."

Bill chuckled. "Ha," he said wryly, and raised an eyebrow. "You're a smart alec just like my son…boy's going to be the death of me." Unbuckling his seat belt, he stood up. "Excuse me." He walked off toward the restroom.

Shaking his head, Elliot chuckled and put his headphones back on. Settling back, he relaxed and began tapping his fingers against the armrest in time to the music.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking."

The boom over the loudspeaker made Elliot jump, and his eyes flew open. He met the smile of Bill Sherman as he looked around groggily and realized he had dozed off. How long he had been asleep, he hadn't a clue…a flush crept over his face and he prayed to God that he hadn't been snoring.

"We will be arriving in Oahu momentarily. Please fasten your seatbelts and put all seats in an upright position. Thank you for flying Air Delta."

Grunting softly, he sat up straight, wincing at the soreness in his back muscles. He rolled his neck to work out the kinks as he fixed the seat.

After fastening the seat belt, Elliot stretched as much as the confines of space would allow. He looked over at the man beside him. "I wasn't snoring, was I?" he asked worriedly, leaning closer to speak.

Bill smiled, inwardly chuckling. "Do you want the truth?" He laughed out loud at the panicked look that crossed the young man's face. "Relax. It was only a little…I hardly heard you."

Unsure as to whether he was telling the truth, Elliot smiled uneasily and turned toward the window. It was raining in Hawaii; big drops pelted the windows as he craned his neck to get a view below. He couldn't see much of anything, though, and turned to face front in disappointment.

The landing was much smoother than the takeoff; he didn't even realize they were on the ground until he felt the plane stop.

Passengers began getting up and filing toward the exit ramp, so he quickly got up to follow suit. He reached for the overhead compartment and pulled out his bag and the small suitcase next to it, assuming it was Bill's. He looked at him questioningly, gesturing to it, and Bill nodded.

"Thank you," he said, taking it from Elliot. He put it on the floor and held out his hand. "It was nice talking to you."

Elliot grasped his hand and shook it. "Hey, same here," he said, smiling. "Take care."

The older man smiled and joined the thrush of people exiting. He disappeared from sight a minute later.

Sliding his bag on the seat that Bill had been occupying, Elliot slipped his Walkman inside the side pocket and zipped it shut. He checked his pocket to make sure he still had his wallet, and then hefted the bag over into the now-clear aisle. He was among the last few to exit the plane.

Pouring rain and a bitter chill greeted him as he stepped out into the fresh air. He groaned in irritation and effortlessly slung the heavy bag over one shoulder in standard military fashion as he ran toward the airport terminal, dodging people and leaping over puddles. The blinding rain stung through his half-shut eyes as he spied the entrance.

He dashed inside gratefully, his sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. The lobby was crowded and noisy as people waited in lines and checked luggage. Beeps from metal detectors and shrieks of small children seemed to come from everywhere.

He paused to check his watch and was almost trampled. Quickly mapping out corners, Elliot ducked around the crowds and found solace by a few deserted tables stationed next to a mini-mart. His watch read 6:25 pm. Judging from the swarms of people mobbing the terminal, he guessed that a flight was going to be leaving at 6:30.

A voice suddenly boomed over the chaos: "The 3:30 flight to Sacramento, Southwest Airlines flight 116, is now loading. All passengers must report to the ticket claim prior to boarding."

_The fuck…? _As a few frazzled passengers dashed past him in frantic search of the ticket line, Elliot checked his watch again in confusion. 6:27. Puzzled, he looked around for a clock.

A giant wooden clock with huge hands was hanging above a Starbucks booth, and it read, clear as day, 3:27. His eyebrows shot up. _Huh, _he thought in surprise. _Guess I was right about the time change._

His cell phone suddenly rang, the shrill sound echoing loudly in the open area. He grabbed it quickly and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey," Jesse said. "Where are you? I'm standing beside the baggage claim."

Elliot's eyes immediately flew to the sign a few feet from him, and his eyes lit up when he saw his friend turned to the side, talking on his cell phone.

He grinned madly. "I'm right beside you, sleazebag!" he said, hanging up. He walked toward Jesse, laughing. Jesse turned, startled, and grinned too when he spotted him. Hanging up himself, Jesse smiled widely and began walking to meet him.

"About time, scum bucket!" Jesse laughed, slugging his arm. He looked delighted.

Elliot dropped his bag and slugged him back, grinning. "How you doin', filth ball?" he cried excitedly.

They grabbed each other in an affectionate, brief embrace, continuing to playfully punch and cuss each other in order to save face. The smiles on both of their faces were identical and elated.

Elliot scrutinized his friend. The Jesse Fox he remembered had been a scrawny kid who had a six-pack that looked more like a two-liter and was the second-biggest smart-ass in the entire platoon…Elliot himself was the biggest smart-ass, and he had never denied it. Jesse had definitely shaped up, but the shit-eating grin on his face was exactly the same.

Jesse was busy doing his own critiquing. Elliot was two years younger when they met, a baby-faced kid who had been forced to grow up too fast, but had a sharp tongue that was quick to fly. Jesse had saved his punk ass from getting a serious beating more than once after he had smarted off to some of the older guys.

For some reason, girls had adored him. Jesse never could figure it out…even when he was engaged and talked about Kathy so much that Jesse had seriously considered strangling him and dumping his body, he still had a legion of female worshippers. The pair would often drive out to the beach near the base on weekends to cruise the boardwalk, and the local ladies seemed to flock to Elliot like bees on honey.

Eyeing him, Jesse disgustedly realized that Elliot hadn't changed. He had matured, obviously, but still had the blue eyes and god damn ripped abs that had driven the girls wild back then.

The bastard...cocky little shit probably still had the ladies cat-fighting over him.

Jesse slid an arm around his friend and tilted his head forward in a headlock. Elliot ducked it easily and shoved him, laughing.

"You ready to go now?" Jesse asked, grinning. "I've been sitting in this damn airport for the past hour waiting for your ass."

"Fuck off!" Elliot laughed. "The flight was right on time, you dirty liar."

Jesse reached down and grabbed Elliot's bag. "Come on." He turned on his heel and walked off, ignoring his friend's demands to give him the bag. After continuing to be ignored, Elliot gave up and followed him through the terminal.

"Over here!" he yelled, over the rain. Elliot followed after him blindly. Jesse pulled out a remote and unlocked a blue Camaro, yelling at him to get in as he heaved the bag into the trunk. He hurried around to the driver's side, jumping in.

Elliot looked around appreciatively. "Nice ride," he commented. "What year?"

"'03," Jesse answered, shifting into second gear as he pulled out of the parking lot. He dropped to third gear and floored the accelerator when they hit the highway. Elliot reached for the radio and flipped through the channels.

"Hey," his friend said indignantly, shooting him a glare. "Who died and made you radio commando?"

Elliot paid him no attention as he stopped on a rock station and cranked it up. Jesse rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey," he said into it. "You guys want to meet us in the lobby? We'll be there in a minute."

The Camaro zipped around a curve and the hotel came into view. Jesse pulled under the hanging archway, and Elliot was surprised to see two men in crisp uniforms immediately come out to them.

"Good evening, Mr. Fox," one said, coming to the driver's side as Jesse stepped out.

Elliot was startled when another came around and grabbed the bag from him as he was pulling it out of the trunk. He looked at the man in surprise. "Hey, that's alright," he said. "I got it."

"No, no," the man insisted. "Please, it's no trouble, sir." He lifted it up and closed the trunk before Elliot had a chance to protest.

Jesse handed his keys to the other man as Elliot came around the car. "Your car will be waiting for you in the morning, Mr. Fox," the man said. "Please let us know if there is anything we can bring up to you. Have a good evening, gentlemen."

"Thank you," Jesse said, watching the man get into the car. He turned toward Elliot and laughed at the shocked look on his face. Grinning widely, he slid his arm around him. "Welcome to paradise, my friend."

They walked through the doors and into the lobby, where a group of men and a few women were sitting on couches, chatting.

"Hey, guys," Jesse said, announcing their presence. He gestured to his friend. "This is Elliot Stabler."

Elliot smiled as the group stood up. Jesse began introducing everyone, pointing to each in turn.

"Scott Wrigley," he said, gesturing to a good-looking blonde man with glasses. He leaned forward and shook Elliot's hand as Jesse gestured to the lovely brunette at his side. "His wife, Theresa."

He continued to the dark-skinned man next to her. "Wes Fulton."

Wes shook his hand heartily. "Nice to meet you," he said, in a deep baritone.

Elliot nodded and smiled. "Likewise."

Next was a tall, black-haired man and a woman with dark blonde hair who had such a strong resemblance to Kathy that it almost made Elliot do a double take. "Craig and Vanessa Mills," Jesse said.

Quickly shaking off the thought, Elliot shook their hands dutifully.

The man next to Vanessa broke in and introduced himself before Jesse had a chance. "Ken Walters," he said, shaking Elliot's hand. He had bright green eyes and a friendly smile.

"Jack Staff," Jesse continued, gesturing to the man with brown hair next to Ken, who winked and shook Elliot's hand. He pointed to the last man. "Trent James."

Elliot noted that all of them looked young, probably mid to late thirties, and very fit. He was suddenly very thankful for his own strenuous workout regimen; otherwise he may have felt a little intimidated.

It also appeared that the group was no stranger to the wealthier side of life. Wes was wearing what looked like a Rolex on one wrist, and both women had rings that looked like they cost more than Elliot's car on their fingers. All of the men wore slacks and dress shirts while the ladies were wearing casual dresses.

Elliot glanced down at the faded jeans, Nikes, and old Billabong t-shirt that he had thrown on in a hurry that morning and felt a flush creep over his face. Self-consciousness wasn't something he was used to feeling.

He looked at Jesse. He was in jeans and a sweatshirt, and looked entirely comfortable as he laughed with the others. As if reading his mind, his Craig glanced at him and grinned.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he said, winking. "We've got dinner reservations atfive in some fancy seafood place that the girls picked out."

He rolled his eyes at Elliot to emphasize his opinion of the idea and continued in a stage whisper, "Personally, I think they just like to make us spend money." He gestured to the other men. "_We_ wanted to order pizza."

Elliot laughed, and immediately felt guilty for being so quick to judge. He shook his head, blaming it on jet lag. His body felt like it had taken a trip through a car wash.

"Not to be rude," Vanessa said, checking her watch. "But we ought to get going…it's quarter after."

The men nodded. Elliot looked at Jesse. "Are you going?"

Jesse looked at him like he had three heads. "Like this?" he said, gesturing to his clothes. "Get real…they'd probably make me wash dishes!" He smirked.

Theresa rolled her eyes at him. "Like you couldn't go upstairs and change," she said in annoyance, giving him a wry look. She looked at Elliot, giving him a sly grin. "He probably just wants an excuse so he can order the Spice Channel on pay-per-view."

The dry tone and playful look that she threw at Jesse reminded him so much of Olivia that he laughed out loud. Jesse shot him a miffed look, and he laughed harder. Theresa grinned at his reaction.

"You want to join us?" Ken asked Elliot. "We can wait for you to go upstairs….it's nothing too fancy, but the restaurant doesn't allow jeans."

He smiled. "Thanks for the offer," he said. "But the flight wore me out. I think I'm just going to go upstairs and crash. Can I take a rain check?"

Scott smiled. "Sure," he said. "We'll catch up tomorrow."

Elliot nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Elliot," Jack offered, extending his hand again. He slapped Jesse's hand. "See ya, Jess."

"Bye, guys," Jesse said, waving, as they all mimicked Jack and said goodbye to Elliot. "Have fun."

"Turn the volume down," Wes cracked at Jesse, slapping his shoulder as they left.

Elliot yawned suddenly, surprising himself. "Damn," he said, looking at his watch. "It's only twenty after four? It feels like freaking midnight."

Jesse smiled. "It's the time change," he said. "You'll feel better after a night's sleep. We've been sleeping all day."

As they walked toward the elevators, Elliot noticed again the vastness of the hotel and the upper-class feel of the place. "How in the hell did you land a place like this?" he asked, as Jesse stabbed the button. He looked at him with incredulously raised eyebrows. "Was that valet service?"

Jesse grinned devilishly. "I have connections," he said mysteriously, cocking an eyebrow. Elliot looked at him suspiciously, making him laugh.

"You haven't changed, you know that?" Jesse said, as the doors closed. He pressed the button for the eighth floor.

Startled, Elliot looked at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"You never did like not being in the loop," he chuckled. "You were the nosiest person in the entire corp."

"Hey!" Elliot's mouth fell open in shock. "That's not true! I never…." He trailed off suddenly, remembering how many times he had just happened to "overhear" the drill sergeants when they were discussing their plans at night, and grinned.

"Yeah," Jesse persisted, smiling widely when he saw his friend's look. "That's right. Don't even try to deny it."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever," he said lamely, trying not to laugh. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, do we have our own rooms?"

Jesse looked at him. "Why do you ask?" he said, leering suggestively. "You getting ideas?"

It took Elliot a minute to get it. "Aw, man," he said in disgust. "You're a freak, Jesse."

His friend laughed. "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other," he continued, keeping up the ribbing. "But come on, Elliot."

Elliot smirked. "You know how I said I'm a cop?"

Jesse looked at him like he was nuts. "Yeah…" he said in confusion.

He grinned knowingly and leaned in closer. "I'm a detective in the Special Victims Unit," he said. He cocked an eyebrow. "Sex crimes."

The look on his friend's face almost made him die laughing.

Elliot dug his room key out of his pocket when the doors opened. They walked down the hall. He stopped at room 814 and slid the key through, opening the door.

"I'm in 817," Jesse called from where he stood down the hall, unlocking his own door. He turned and waggled his eyebrows at Elliot mischievously. "In case you get bored later." He grinned and made a crude gesture with his tongue.

Elliot burst out laughing in shock, almost doubling over. When he could get enough air, he gasped out, "I'm locking the doors." Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it, still chuckling. Shaking his head a minute later, he pushed away to inspect the room.

He had been in his share of hotels in his lifetime, but this was nothing like he had ever seen before. The place was easily the size of his entire apartment. A large television took up almost the entire far wall of the room, with a leather couch a few feet away. A mahogany desk and matching chair were against the other wall, with a full-size lamp beside it.

The entire room was carpeted with cream-colored, plush carpet that felt so soft that he gave in to the temptation to take off his shoes as he walked further inside. He curled his toes into it as he padded back to inspect the bedroom.

His jaw dropped when he got to the doorway. The bed was the size of a small car. It literally stretched from one end of the room to the other, almost touching the walls. The frame was a rich mahogany that matched the desk in the other room; the comforter was a deep blue. Elliot had never seen so many pillows in his entire life- there were at least ten piled against the headboard, each one looking softer than the one before.

A flat-screen television was mounted to the wall in front of the bed, with a DVD player and VCR positioned on the dresser next to it. He could probably fit his entire dresser at home into one of the drawers in this one. Scoffing softly in utter amazement, he kept going.

The closet was big enough for a person to sleep comfortably in. Elliot looked inside for a minute and then continued to the bathroom. It had a large Jacuzzi and shower, stocked with fluffy towels, a razor, and an endless supply of soaps.

When he stepped out, he saw that the wall furthest from the bed was actually a sliding glass door leading to an outside balcony. It was still raining, so he didn't go out, but still had a spectacular view of the beach in the distance.

Whistling in amazement, he shook his head again. _This is a **room?** I wonder what the penthouse looks like!_

Walking back through to the living room, he locked the door and turned off the lights. He went into the bedroom and shut that door, locking it as well, and checked the glass door lock before pulling the curtain.

His bag was sitting on his bed, something he hadn't noticed coming in. Crossing over to it, he picked it up and set it on the floor. He was too tired to unpack. His body was begging for sleep.

He felt outrageously small when he climbed into the massive bed and pushed aside some of the pillows. He slid under the comforter and couldn't help a blissful sigh at how fluffy it was. Reaching above him, he turned out the lamp on the wall above his head. Even thought the curtain was close, there was still moonlight peeking in, casting a comfortable glow over the room.

Elliot piled three pillows behind his head and sank down into them, his body relaxing immediately. He couldn't believe how cozy and safe he felt in this room…it was insane just how much.

Just as he was drifting off, his cell phone rang. Popping one eye open, he groaned angrily. "You've got to be kidding," he huffed in annoyance, reluctantly moving out from under the giant mass of fluff.

Reaching for his jeans, he pulled out his phone. "Stabler," he said gruffly, unable to keep the irritation from his voice.

Olivia grimaced and tapped a pencil against her desk sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologized. "Did I wake you?"

He chuckled softly. "Yeah," he said, honestly. He climbed into bed again. "But that's alright."

"I just wanted to make sure you got there alright," she said. "Did you?"

"Yep," he said, stretching out and cradling the phone against his face. "I'm in the room now."

She grinned. "So how is it?" she asked excitedly. "Is it beautiful?"

"Well….it's raining," he said with a laugh. "So I haven't seen much of the outside yet." He glanced around and grinned. "But this room is so nice that I'm considering staying in the hotel all week."

"It's that nice?" she asked in surprise.

"Liv, this place is probably fit both of our apartments in it," he said. "I'm afraid the bed is going to swallow me."

Olivia laughed. "Well, if you aren't back in a month, I'll send out a search party."

He laughed.

There was a minute of silence and she remembered guiltily that he had been sleeping. "Ok, well," she said. "I'll let you go then…sorry I woke you up."

Elliot smiled, knowing how much of a worrier she could be. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I was just falling asleep when you called." He was unable to stop himself from yawning in her ear.

She heard it and laughed. "Sweet dreams," she said.

"You too," he replied, smiling drowsily. "Don't work too hard."

"Me?" she said teasingly. "Now why would I do that? That's what I have you for."

"Ouch!" Elliot said, feigning hurt. He chuckled sleepily. "Good night, Olivia."

She smiled warmly. "Good night, Elliot," she said softly, and hung up.

He turned the phone off and tossed it on the bedside table, snuggling back under the covers. He was out before his head hit the pillow.

**See that little button….the one that says "Submit Review"? Yeah, that one…yup, right there. It works…I checked. Go ahead….it won't bite.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

**Author's Note: God bless the summer time…any one with access to the song "When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker should definitely listen when reading- perfect song for this story!**

An extremely loud ringing next to his head made Elliot jump about four feet out of sleep. When he realized it was the bedside phone, he groaned and pressed his face down into the pillow again.

He discovered that he was lying on the opposite side of the bed than he had started on the night before. The phone was ruthless…the volume must have been cranked to the highest level. No way was he going to be able to ignore the damn thing.

Growling in irritation, he slid on his stomach over the jumble of pillows and stretched a hand toward the bedside table.

"Hello," he murmured, squinting in the sunlight that was peeking through the cracks in the curtain.

"Get up, lazy ass," Jesse said brightly.

Elliot groaned again and dropped face first onto the mattress. "Why are you calling me at…" He glanced at his watch. "Eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Quit your whining, you pussy," his friend cracked, laughing. "You've been sleeping for like 13 hours…come on; everyone is meeting downstairs for breakfast."

"Go without me," Elliot moaned, snuggling under the covers again.

"I'm stopping by your room in ten minutes," Jesse said. "If you don't answer the door, I'm going to break in. You know I can…I took the same classes in the Marines that you did, buddy."

A low groan rumbled up Elliot's throat. To this day he could still break into a house using a credit card….when he was 19, he thought it was the coolest thing ever to learn. The corp had its advantages at times.

"I hate you," he grumbled playfully, and slammed the phone down.

Jesse grinned and hung up as well, heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Elliot stretched and allowed himself another minute to relax in the warm bed. Sighing, he reluctantly slid out from under the covers and stood up. After eyeing his bag again, he decided that he really didn't feel like unpacking right now either. He dug through it for some clothes and promised himself that he was going to tackle it as soon as they finished breakfast.

Throwing the clothes on, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. There was a knock at the door as he was spitting out the foam.

Quickly wiping his mouth, he walked through to the door, checking the peephole before unlocking the door. He opened it wide and walked back to the bedroom, leaving Jesse to let himself in.

"How do you like the rooms?" he called smugly as he followed Elliot through the living room.

"Who the hell do you work for, man?" Elliot called back from inside the bathroom. "This room is nicer than my entire apartment." He checked his reflection in the mirror before shutting off the bathroom light.

Jesse sat on the bed and watched Elliot dig his shoes out from under the bed. He grinned. "Isn't it great?" he said, teasingly. "This hotel is like some VIP powerhouse or some shit. Supposedly it's where the NFL players come to stay during the season."

Elliot scoffed, straightening. "You're full of it," he said, turning off the lamp.

Jesse hopped off of the bed and Elliot followed him out of the bedroom. "No, I'm not," he insisted, walking through the front door. "It said it in the brochure."

Elliot laughed as he stepped out behind him and locked the door. "Yeah, right," he said, pocketing the room key. "I'm sure that's what they tell all of the tourists."

Jesse looked at him indignantly. "We are _not_ tourists," he said with conviction. "Whatever happens, don't let anyone call you a tourist."

They stepped into the elevator and headed for the lobby.

Craig, Vanessa, Jack, and Trent were standing there when they got down. They greeted each other and milled around to wait for the others. They appeared a few minutes later, and the group headed for the dining room.

Elliot was pleased to see that all of them were wearing casual clothes this morning. Breakfast was a seat-yourself buffet, and it too was very casual. He was going to like this trip…he could already tell.

"So," Wes said as they were finishing. He pushed his plate aside and rested his elbows on the table edge. "Who's up for the beach?"

"Count me in," Theresa said immediately, looking at Vanessa. She nodded agreeably. Craig and Scott looked slightly undecided.

"Well…" Craig hedged. "Maybe for a little while." He shot his wife a mock-threatening look. "But I refuse to lie there all day like a blob, like _someone_ I know likes to do."

Vanessa smiled at him, glaring playfully at him and swatting his arm. "You'll do it if I say you'll do it, baby."

Elliot felt a squeeze in his heart as he watched the exchange. There had been a time when he and Kathy had argued playfully like that….now all the arguments were stinging and venomous. He had to force himself not to dwell on those thoughts…they would only end up making him depressed.

"I'd really like to try out the pier," Jesse said. "They've got some great fishing on the other side of the island."

"Hey, sweet," Jack said. "I'm with you on that one." Ken agreed, as did Trent.

Elliot realized they were looking at him. "What?" he said in confusion, his mind slow. "Oh…" He thought a minute, deciding quite quickly. "I'm game for the beach."

They stood up and began getting ready to go. "Well, this one I know already has her bathing suit on," Scott said, with an arm around his wife. "So we're going to go ahead down there."

The others agreed to meet them a little while later.

"Hey, wait," Elliot said, as he realized something. "Where is it?"

"It's about a five minute walk from the north side of the hotel," Wes spoke up. "I've got to head back to my room anyway. I'll walk with you."

He looked at him, a little surprised, and smiled. "Sure," he agreed.

"Alright," Jesse said. "Well, how about if we all meet up for lunch somewhere then?"

Trent checked his watch and spoke up, "How about the Beach Grill?" He looked around to see what the others thought. Nods and shrugs of approval were exchanged. "One o'clock okay with everyone?"

"Sounds good to me," Craig said.

The others agreed, parting at the lobby to go their separate ways. Elliot walked with Wes to the elevators. "Oh, shit," he said suddenly. "I have to buy a bathing suit."

Wes waved a hand carelessly. "The boardwalk has plenty of shops," he said.

Elliot nodded in relief. He thought he was going to have to go brave a mall somewhere.

"So, Elliot," Wes said conversationally, as the elevator climbed. "What do you do?"

He turned toward him. "I'm a cop," he answered. "Detective, actually…New York Police Department."

Wes looked surprised. "Wow," he said. "That's cool. How long on the job?"

"Twelve years," he answered. "My dad was a cop…figured I might as well keep up the family tradition." He shrugged. "How about you…you work with Jesse, right?"

Fulton nodded. "All of us work together," he said, referring to the others in the group. "At the Lucas Air Naval Academy in Seattle, training rookies."

"What about Theresa and Vanessa?" Elliot said. "They do the same?"

Wes nodded. "That's where Craig and Scott met them, actually...Vanessa works in the radio control room, and Theresa is a field instructor." He gave Elliot a wry look. "And let me tell you….don't mess with that girl. She's got a pair of balls on her that rivals the male instructors. I worked with her one time and almost got myself castrated."

That made Elliot laugh. "Trust me, I know the feeling," he said, grinning. At Wes' confused look, he explained, "My partner is a woman…she definitely gives us guys a run for our money."

"Ah, a pistol, eh?" Wes grinned.

"That she is," he agreed. "But I wouldn't trade her for anything. Olivia is rock-solid."

The door opened as they got to Elliot's floor. "Meet you downstairs in…ten minutes?" Wes nodded and the doors closed.

Unlocking the door, Elliot grabbed his wallet from the counter and kicked off his sneakers. He searched around in his bag until he came up with a pair of flip-flops and slipped them on his feet instead. Letting the bag fall to the floor, he looked at it with distaste.

_After lunch...after lunch I will definitely unpack that._

Pocketing his wallet and cell phone, he headed out again.

After meeting up with Wes, the pair left the hotel and walked along the side of the sparsely traveled road. No one seemed to drive in Hawaii….every he looked, Elliot saw bikers, joggers, and people walking.

They made idle small talk as they walked, the other man turning out to be quite intelligent and very hilarious. Elliot's sides were splitting by the time the boardwalk came into view.

"I'll meet you guys in a minute," Elliot said, stopping before reaching the sand.

"Okay," Wes agreed. "We'll be over there." He pointed a vague hand in the general direction and began wading through the sand.

Turning, Elliot walked down the boardwalk and checked out the shops, searching for a place to find a bathing suit. It proved to be not very difficult, as almost every one in sight was some kind of surf shop. He went into the first one he saw.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the store carrying his clothes and wearing a pair of dark orange Hurley swim trunks. They slung low on his hips and grazed his kneecaps when he walked.

The sound of the waves crashing assaulted his ears, and he suddenly stopped just before stepping into the sand.

_I'm in Hawaii…I'm standing on the beach in the middle of the workweek and its fucking ninety degrees outside_

A huge smile stretched over his face and his eyes twinkled in delight.

_I'm… in…Hawaii!_

With the first step into the warm white sand, all thoughts of New York vanished from Elliot Stabler's mind.

"Hey, Elliot!" came a shout.

Shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, he squinted in the direction of the voice and saw Theresa waving at him. Waving back to her, he walked towards where he saw them sitting.

"Hey, you made it!" Craig said, waving him over. "Have a seat, man."

Both women were lying flat on towels, soaking in the sun. The guys were sitting in chairs, drinking beers. A boom box was between Craig and Scott, blasting rock music.

Elliot dropped into the chair next to Craig and was handed a Corona. He smiled and popped the lid, taking a long sip. The alcohol slid down his throat and pooled wonderfully in his stomach.

"Yes," he sighed blissfully, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "_Damn_ I needed this vacation."

Theresa propped herself on one elbow. "Rough job?" she asked curiously, reaching for her own beer and taking a sip.

He scoffed. "You don't know the half of it," he said, straightening up. He stretched his legs out and dug his toes deep into the sand.

After about twenty minutes, the heat became unbearable. "Alright," Elliot said abruptly, interrupting Wes mid-sentence as he was talking. "Who's going in the water?" He stood up.

"_No_ thanks!" Vanessa said. "It is way too cold for me."

He looked to the guys. They all looked at him like he was nuts. "Come on," he pleaded. "Just for a minute!" He looked at them, trying for his most charming smile, but they just grinned and shook their heads. Desperately, he looked at Wes. "Wes….don't leave me hanging brother!"

Grimacing, Wes said sheepishly, "Sorry, Elliot…the ocean and I don't get along."

He groaned loudly and scoffed. "Man, you guys are such babies," he said. He sighed dramatically. "Alright….I guess I'll just go all by myself."

Theresa smiled and slid gracefully off of the towel she was perched on. "I'll go with you," she offered.

He turned toward her with a smile as she walked up to him. "Hey, alright!"

They walked down toward the water. Theresa was wearing a mint green halter bikini, and Elliot couldn't help but notice how amazing the woman looked in it. Her abs were rock hard and toned to perfection, leading to a pair of lean, shapely legs. His eyes slowly traveled upward. And those breasts….

_Jesus! _Elliot had to stop himself quickly, his face flushing crimson. _What the hell are you doing? She's **married**, you ass! _

"So, Elliot," she said, as they approached the breakers. "Is this your first time in Hawaii?"

Quickly turning his attention to her words, he prayed that his thoughts weren't written on his face. "Yeah," he stammered. "You?"

"No," she said. "Scott and I actually went here on out honeymoon…this very same beach."

He smiled. "How many years have you been married?"

She stopped, turning toward the direction her husband was sitting and smiling lovingly. "Sixteen years," she said, her eyes sparkling. "And it has been absolute heaven."

_That's the same thing I used to say._

He couldn't stop the thought from rushing up. After sixteen years of marriage, he had been looking forward to growing old with his wife and all the joy that would come with it…retirement, grandkids, alone time with the kids grown and gone….

Now here it was, four years later, and look what he had.

"Hey." The voice of Theresa broke through his thoughts. She was several feet ahead of him and looking at him in amusement. "You coming?"

_God damn it!_ He clenched his teeth and angrily shook his head. He had promised himself he wasn't going to think about anything but Hawaii….damned if he was going to spend his vacation brooding. He had plenty of time to do that in New York.

He quickly caught up to her and they waded in. The chilliness of the water shocked him as he kept going up to his waist, but it was also amazingly refreshing. Taking a breath, he dove under a wave, sliding deep to the underwater sand and burying his fingers into it.

They swam around for a few minutes and then made their way back to the beach. Theresa wrung her hair out with a towel and plopped into a chair next to her husband. Elliot sat back in his chair and shivered, the coldness of the water having seeped into his skin. He leaned his head back and sighed gratefully as the warm sun began spreading over him.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew Scott was saying, "Hey guys, it's quarter to one….we should head to the grill. The others are probably waiting."

They began standing up and brushing themselves off. Elliot stood up as well.

The Beach Grill was nothing like it sounded. The small, outdoor restaurant was packed with people ranging from teenagers to senior citizens. Obviously, it was a local favorite. By some miracle, the line to be seated wasn't very long. They met up with Jesse and the others, who hadn't caught a single fish.

Elliot got a kick out of that and started laughing, earning a death glare from Jesse.

"Are you laughing at me, Stabler?" he said threateningly, laughter twinkling in his eyes. He slugged his arm hard. "Keep that up and I'll chop off your balls to use as bait next time."

"Ugh!" Theresa complained. "Hello? We're eating."

Jesse turned toward her with a huge smile and winked. "Well, I guess we can just use yours then."

Scott snorted, spraying Pepsi all over the table in front of him, and choked because he was laughing so hard. Theresa glared at him playfully, making him laugh harder.

Jesse smiled sweetly at her. She cocked an eyebrow and extended her middle finger in his direction.

Elliot laughed, almost choking himself. It was like watching a home movie…he could almost _see_ Olivia and himself acting out the same scenario over the desk at work. Wes had been very accurate in his description of Theresa, that was for sure. She was a rocket.

The women headed for the shops after lunch, leaving the men to fend for themselves. They glanced at each other. Trent raised an eyebrow. "You guys want to head back to the beach?"

There was an exchange of the universal male shrug, and they all began walking back toward the beach. Along the way, something caught Jesse's eye and he stopped.

"Hey, you guys," he said. "Look."

He was pointing to a sign beside a small building that said "Bikez and Bladz". "Let's rent some rollerblades."

Elliot's interest was immediately perked, but the other guys declined.

"Actually," Ken said, looking at his watch. "We should get going." He gestured toward Trent, Craig, and Scott. "We're supposed to go play golf at three."

They nodded. "We're going to head back to the hotel to change," Craig said. "We'll see you guys later."

Jesse nodded, looking at Wes.

"I'm going to go with them," he said. "I think I'm going to go work out in the gym for a while."

Elliot looked at him. "There's a gym?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he said. "On the second floor…huge. Tons of machines. It has a weight room, too, and three pools."

His eyebrows rose. "Wow," he said, making a mental note to check it out later.

The other men left. He and Jesse walked inside the small building and got pairs of rollerblades.

"So, what's up?" Elliot asked, as they sat on benches putting them on. "You don't golf?"

Jesse scoffed. "Yeah, right," he said defensively, fixing Elliot with a challenging look. "Do you?"

"Ha," Elliot said dryly. "Putt-Putt is about the range of my golf skills." He dropped his Rollerblade-covered feet heavily onto the ground and stood up. "Man, I haven't done this in at least ten years…hope I can still remember how to stop."

He saw a mischievous glint in Jesse's eye. "Wanna race?" he asked, slyly. He raised an eyebrow smugly.

Elliot looked at him warily.

He pointed to a light post a few hundred feet down the boardwalk. "First one to the light post wins?"

"I'm not racing you," he protested. "I haven't been on blades since-?"

Jesse poked him in the ribs. "Oh, what's the matter?" he drawled. He poked him again. "Chicken? Huh?" He began making obnoxiously juvenile clucking noises, twirling around him in a circle and poking him.

Finally, Elliot couldn't take it. "Alright!" he cried, shoving Jesse. "Jesus….quit!"

With a smile of victory, Jesse got into position and waited for Elliot to line up next to him. He didn't see the wicked smile that was playing on his friend's lips as he counted out loud.

"Get ready….get set….GO!"

Elliot took off like a shot, taking expertly-skilled, smooth strides. He turned his head to see Jesse standing still with a stunned look on his face. He smiled devilishly.

"Sucker!" he shouted, and kept going.

Jesse's mouth dropped. "You _asswipe_!" he shouted in shock. He began making a mad dash to catch up with him.

Laughing, Elliot slid gracefully to a stop beside the light post. Jesse skidded next to him a few seconds later, breathing hard.

"You fucker," he said angrily, panting. "You hustled me."

He was rewarded with a wide smile. "Hey, don't blame me," he said, shrugging. "You fell for it."

Reaching over, he poked Jesse the same way that his friend had done to him and then punched his arm. "You haven't changed either," he continued, his eyes twinkling. "You're still as dumb as a rock!"

The minute the words left his mouth, he took off again, laughing. Jesse was on his heels, shouting at him that he was dead meat and laughing too.

"Yeah, you'd better run," Jesse yelled. "I'm going to kick your smart ass!"

"Bring it on, chump!" he yelled back, turning his head and grinning as he pumped harder.

"_Watch it!"_

The sound of a voice next to his ear made him whip his head back around fast, and he was horrified to see a woman standing right in his path. With a gasp, he frantically tried to swerve to avoid her, but failed. He careened right into her, knocking her down, and went sliding onto his back.

He lay still, stunned and in pain. "Ugh," he groaned, feeling shards of fire making their way up his back.

Suddenly, his mind caught up. "Oh, fuck!" he cried, leaping to his feet. Whipping back around, he hurried to the woman he had plowed into.

She was crouched down, gathering up the pile of books that had gone scattering to the ground, not paying any attention.

"I'm so sorry!" a male voice said anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Startled, she looked up and into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. A man with dark hair and a tanned, chiseled stomach was standing in front of her with a worried expression on his face. He was wearing rollerblades and an orange swimsuit.

She stared at him, unable to form any words. _Holy…shit. Hello, Mr. America. _She kept staring, blinking dumbly, before she realized that he had spoken again.

"Huh-what?" she managed.

He looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" Elliot asked again. "Oh my God…I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going at all." He looked mortified.

Swallowing, she nodded. "Yeah," she said quickly. "Yeah, I'm-I'm fine." Like an idiot, she kept nodding. "Fine."

His eyes flew to her feet. "Oh, man," he said quickly, still embarrassed. He stopped down and began gathering her books. "Here…let me help you."

He kept apologizing, sure his face was as red as a beet, as she stooped next to him. "I'm sorry," he said again. "Did I break anything? I'll pay for it."

She laughed. "It's alright," she said. "They're just books…they won't break, I promise."

He stacked the books and stood straight, holding them out to her. She reached to take them, grazing her hands over his. They both froze.

It was then that Elliot got a good look at her. She was petite, wearing a white sleeveless top and a simple pair of jeans. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a braid. There was nothing distinct about her, no jewelry or makeup.

But she was special. He knew it.

"Elliot Stabler," he said softly, extending his hand out to her.

She almost lost her breath when he smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth that would have made a Crest commercial actor jealous. She swallowed hard.

"Al-Allison Denny," she said, in a voice that sounded more like a squeak to her ears. "Ally."

She gripped his hand. It was smooth, soft, and nothing like she was expecting. A ripple traveled up her spine as he held the contact and stared at her.

"Pleased to meet you." He found himself in a trance as he looked into her almond-shaped hazel eyes.

She found herself drowning in the deep blue of his eyes as they stood there silently, still grasping each other's hand.

"Ahem!"

They were both startled when Jesse cleared his throat next to them. Elliot jumped slightly and shook himself mentally. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly pulled his hand away.

"Sorry," he stammered, laughing uneasily. He kicked himself. _Way to go, jackass…she probably thinks you're a stalker or something._

Ally drew her hand back and smoothed it absently over her braid. "Me, too," she said weakly. _Ugh, great line, stupid…he probably thinks you're slow or something._

Jesse had a knowing grin on his face as he watched them. "Elliot." He didn't respond. Grinning wider, Jesse called out, "Elliot? You coming?"

"Huh?" Elliot finally looked at him in confusion. Seeing the shit-eating smirk on his friend's face, he blushed again. "Uh, yeah. Yeah." He smiled at Ally and took a clumsy step backward, nearly stumbling.

She bit back a laugh at the sheepish look that crossed his face. _God, he is too cute!_

"Sorry I bumped into you," he said, backing away from her finally. Jesse rolled his eyes and started skating away. He looked after him for a minute before turning to her. "It-it was nice to meet you, Ally."

_Go, idiot…go now,_ his brain was scolding. _Left foot, right foot, left foot, right..._

She smiled, praying that she didn't look like a doofus. No one had ever said her name like that… "Ally"….it was breathy and kind and charming all at once. Swallowing hard to get her vocal cords to work, she managed to croak out, "You, too-"

The gorgeous smile appeared again, making her breath hitch involuntarily and her heart pound.

Her smile made her lovely eyes light up and he almost went down onto the ground again. Knowing his mouth would only trip him up again, Elliot settled for a nod and whipped around before he could make a fool out of himself again.

He began skating toward where Jesse was standing several yards away impatiently. His heart was pounding frantically and his pulse was racing, making him lightheaded.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Allison watched as he skated away. She was startled to feel her heart thudding against her ribcage, like she had just finished running. Her head was swimming, and she couldn't catch her breath. She bit her lip.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Gulping in a breath, she was finally able to finish the sentence that she had been unable to before, her voice perplexed and anticipating.

"Elliot."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

Jesse began howling with laughter as soon as Elliot reached him. He got up in his face and began taunting him.

"P-pl-pleased to m-meet you," he stuttered dramatically. "My-my name's El-Elliot Stabler." He laughed again in mad delight. "Man… that was a 'Rainman' if I ever saw one!"

Elliot's face twisted angrily and he shoved him hard, beginning to skate ahead. Undaunted, Jesse kept right on laughing as he lost his balance and fell back against the wooden handrail of the boardwalk. He raced to catch up.

"Hey, man!" he laughed, grabbing Elliot's arm. "Chill…I'm kidding with you."

Elliot gave a disgusted sigh, shaking his arm loose. "Whatever," he mumbled, slowing to allow his friend to match his strides.

He knew that Jesse had been joking with him, that wasn't what made him mad. He wanted to dig a hole in the sand and stay there for the week. He couldn't _believe _the way he had acted back there. God, he was such an idiot.

"What was that about, anyway?" Jesse pressed, as he stopped.

Elliot sighed and flopped down on to a bench nearby. Jesse leaned on the rail in front of him and looked at him squarely, waiting for a response.

He dropped his head into his hands. "I don't know," he moaned. "Fuck…I don't know what the hell just happened."

Jesse smirked. "I do," he said matter-of-factly. "You were interested in her."

His head jerked up quickly and he looked at Jesse with fire in his eyes, trying to intimidate him. But the telltale blush on his face gave him away.

"I was not interested," he protested. "Jesus, Jesse…I crashed right into her. I was just seeing if she was alright. I am not interested in Ally."

The smirk on Jesse's face grew. "_Al-l-yy," _he crowed, stretching her name out dramatically. "You had to use her name, huh?" He nodded eagerly, his face positively devilish. "You liked her, Stabler. Admit it."

Elliot scoffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "I'm not admitting anything," he said in disgust, standing up. He grinned. "God, is your life that pathetic that you have to try and play matchmaker on the boardwalk?"

He started skating again. "Come on," he said to Jesse. "Race you to the end!"

Jesse shot off of the rail instantly. "Oh, hell no," he said. "I'm not letting you beat me again, you cheater!" He pumped hard, catching up with Elliot easily, and gave him a playful shove that almost sent him flying.

He laughed loudly at the look of shock on Elliot's face as he struggled to regain his balance

"Now who's the sucker?" he yelled over his shoulder, grinning.

They returned the rollerblades an hour later. Elliot had weaseled three more races out of Jesse, and had cheated his way through all three without shame. It felt like old times, the two of them conning and egging on each other shamelessly. Elliot's smile was so big that he thought his face would break.

It was nearing five when they began walking back to the hotel. Elliot threw his t-shirt on over his bathing suit and slipped on his flip-flops again. He thought wryly about the kind of reaction he would receive from his colleagues at work if they ever saw him in them…he'd never hear the end of it from any of them, especially Olivia.

"What?" Jesse asked, noticing his grin.

He shook his head. "I'm just thinking about how my partner would die if she saw me wearing these things," he said, gesturing to his feet. "I've never seen her bare feet once in eight years."

Jesse smirked. "I hear that," he agreed. "I still can't get over seeing Terri in a bathing suit...when we're at work I can't help but think of her as one of the guys. She'll kick my ass."

"Man, don't ever let her and Olivia get together," Elliot said. "We would get our asses handed to us on a platter."

They got to the hotel and headed up to their floor.

"I'm going to go check out the gym," Elliot said, as they neared his room. He took out his key. "You want to come?"

"Nah," Jesse declined. "I'm tired."

"Pussy," he cracked. He opened his door and grinned at Jesse. "Enjoy your porn videos."

Jesse flashed him a wicked grin before disappearing inside his own room.

Elliot slipped into a pair of sweats and hung up his bathing suit on top of the shower rod to dry. He realized with disdain that he had yet to unpack his damn duffle bag. Sighing, he decided to go ahead and tackle it now before heading for the gym.

He dumped everything out into a huge pile on the floor and began picking through it. Once he had sorted everything out, he folded his shorts and shirts, sticking them in two of the giant dresser drawers. The socks and underwear were shoved into a third, along with his pajama pants.

With that accomplished, he reached into the bag again and pulled out his Walkman. Sliding the headphones on, he slipped on his shirt and grabbed his keys before heading for the elevators.

He went to the second floor and walked inside the workout area. Wes hadn't been kidding. It was huge, and by the looks of it, top-of-the-line quality. At this hour, the machines were crowded with people. Continuing through, Elliot turned the corner and headed to check out the weight room.

It too was impressive. He wasn't in the mood for weights today, so he kept going and peeked into the pool area. The indoor pools were roped off into lanes for swimmers to use, and quite a few were occupied. He stepped outside toward the outdoor pool.

It was gigantic. Two huge slides were on both ends, and the shallow end was full of joyful children. The deep end was almost deserted.

Elliot bit his lip as he stared longingly at the crisp blue water. It seemed like the water was calling to him. He was starting to seriously consider jumping in with his sweats on, and had to force himself to leave. He would _definitely_ be coming back here.

Instead of returning inside to the crowded gym, he decided to go for a run. He figured he could see what was around the hotel area and then circle back by the beach he had come from earlier. He got a bottle of water out of a vending machine near the entrance to the pool area and turned on the Walkman.

The early evening sun was still blazing. He shucked off his shirt as he ran, sweat already starting to drip down his back even though he was just starting out.

He ran for nearly half an hour before reaching the beach, slowing his pace as he neared the boardwalk. He jogged in the opposite direction than the one they had been on earlier, heading for the pier that Jesse and the others had gone to that morning.

He stopped upon reaching it and rested against the wooden railing, amazed at the sight. The sun looked like it was dropping right into the ocean, the clear blue water tinted pink from the reflection. He wished he had a camera. One would never see a sunset like this in New York.

Finishing off the water bottle, he continued to watch for a few minutes and then headed back. As he jogged toward the road that would take him back to the hotel, a building caught his eye as he past it. It was a public library.

"_Watch it!"_

His mind flashed back to an image of Ally scooping up a pile of books from the boardwalk. A wide smile stretched over his face before he could stop it.

Jesse's words rang in his head: _"You liked her, Stabler. Admit it."_ He felt his face flush and he picked up the pace.

The idea was ludicrous. That's all there was to it. He had only been with one woman in his life, and she was the love of his dreams. Even though he tried his best to hide it, it was obvious to everyone that he was still very much attached to Kathy. They had been apart well over two years now, and he still couldn't look at another woman.

It was half past six when he jogged back up to the hotel. He slowed to a walk as he entered the lobby, catching his breath. Stabbing the button for the elevator, he slipped his shirt back on.

The doors opened, and he was startled to see Jesse and the others inside. They appeared equally surprised.

"There you are," Jesse said, as they stepped out. "I tried calling you. We're heading out to get some dinner. You want to join us?"

His stomach growled instantly, reminding him that lunch had been far off. "Sure," he agreed. "Give me ten minutes."

"We'll wait down here for you," Scott said.

"Thanks," Elliot said, going into the elevator.

"Hurry up," Jesse said, before the doors closed. "I'm starving."

Rushing into the room, he stripped and hurried into the shower. He soaped up quickly and rinsed off.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the shower and quickly brushed his teeth. He put on deodorant and splashed on some cologne as he went into the bedroom. Thankful that he had enough sense to fold his clothes, he threw on a new shirt and slipped his shorts on again.

He made it back downstairs in eleven minutes.

Dinner was at a seafood restaurant on the other end of the island, a twenty minute drive. Elliot wasn't much of a seafood person usually, but this place was over the top. He had broiled flounder and shrimp, and it was probably the best thing he had ever tasted.

The waiter came around and inquired if anyone wanted dessert or coffee. Elliot declined, but the others were eager to take him up on the offer. Once the desserts arrived, he wished he had too.

The checks were split up and handed out as the waiter thanked them for coming. They all began reaching for their wallets. Elliot pulled out his credit card, and was surprised when Craig took the piece of paper from under his glass.

"I've got it," he offered.

"No, Craig," Elliot argued, reaching for it. "Don't be ridiculous. You're not paying for my dinner."

The man refused to let Elliot have the paper back. "I've got it," he insisted again.

Elliot tried unsuccessfully again to snatch the receipt. "Really, Craig," he protested. "I-"

"He's on ours," Craig said to the waiter, handing him the slips along with his credit card.

He started to argue again. Vanessa smiled at him. "It's no trouble," she said. Her voice was sympathetic and almost condescending. "We know how much police officers make."

Elliot was so shocked by her words that he was rendered speechless.

It was nearly nine when the group got back to the hotel. "Goodnight, you guys," Scott said, holding his wife's hand. "We'll see you tomorrow."

The others said goodbye and piled into the elevator. One by one (with the exception of Craig and Vanessa, of course), they got off and said goodbye. Craig and Vanessa stopped at the ninth floor.

"Goodnight, guys," Craig said. "Dinner was fun."

"Yes, it was," Jesse said. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Elliot," he continued.

Elliot smiled weakly, but said nothing.

The elevator was silent as it went up to the tenth floor. When the doors opened, Elliot got off without a word and began walking to the room. Jesse walked beside him, trying to figure out the best way to broach the sore subject that he knew was plaguing his friend.

"I'm sorry about what happened at dinner," he said finally, as they approached Elliot's room. He stopped and looked at him. "That was rude of Vanessa to say."

Elliot was clenching his teeth as he unlocked the door. Never in his life had he felt so ashamed, and he was furious that someone would have the nerve to make him feel that way. When he saw that Jesse wasn't moving, he stopped and turned to face him.

He clenched and unclenched his jaw. "How does she know how much I make?" he asked finally, his voice tight. He fixed Jesse with a glare. "Did you tell them?"

Surprise flashed on Jesse's face, followed quickly by anger. "Oh, yeah, Elliot," he said sarcastically. "I sure did…I make it a point to tell all my friend's about each other's salaries." He rolled his eyes. "No, jackass."

Shaking his head, Elliot sighed and opened the door. "You're my best friend, Jess," he said, looking at the other man. "But I have to tell you…you're friends can be real assholes."

He went inside and shut the door in Jesse's face. Jesse sighed and shook his head, walking to his own room. He was going to kill Vanessa in the morning.

Elliot slipped his shoes off and went into the bedroom. Opening the glass door, he stepped out on to the balcony and rested his arms on the railing as he looked out over the water.

The phone rang at 7:00 the next morning. Pushing the pillow off of his face, Elliot swung an arm lazily toward the table, grabbing it.

"Hello?" he croaked.

"We're meeting for breakfast again," Jesse said. "Come on down."

He paused a minute. "No, thanks," he said finally. "I'm not hungry."

Jesse was silent a minute. "You're not still mad about last night, are you?" he asked. "Listen, I'm going to talk to Vanessa. She just-"

"No, Jess….no," he said. He sighed tiredly. "Don't worry about it. I'm just tired. Really, I'm not in the mood for breakfast. Go on without me."

His friend sighed. "Alright," he said finally. The click told Elliot he had hung up.

Elliot sighed himself and dropped back on to the pillow. He tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. Huffing, he finally sat up.

It was bright outside, promising another sweltering day, but the sun hadn't fully exposed itself yet. As much as he wanted to lie in bed and be a slug, he couldn't. His internal restlessness was a curse…he never did know how to just do nothing.

He slid on his sweats again and padded out into the living room to get his tennis shoes.

The crash of the waves was the first thing he heard when he stepped outside, and he headed for the beach.

It was deserted at this hour of the morning. After glancing down the beach, he slipped off his shoes and set them beside the boardwalk. He really wasn't concerned about leaving them-if someone wanted his shoes that badly, he could have them.

His feet smacked the hard wet sand as he jogged through the breakers. A chilly wind was blowing off of the water, and he shivered. He wasn't expecting to need a sweatshirt.

The run was quite invigorating, and he wondered briefly about what the captain would do if he just decided not to ever go home. The thought of waking up and running on the beach every day was something that he could easily get used to.

A wry smile played on his lips. Cragen would come down here and drag his ass back to New York personally if that's what it took…and if not him, then Olivia. He shook his head. He loved his job, his boss, and his colleagues…but God, sometimes he wished he had become a school teacher so he could have summers off.

Elliot went as far as the pier before turning around. When he reached the boardwalk, he was shocked to find that his shoes were gone.

_What in the…_ He looked around, stunned. "You've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed aloud.

"Looking for these?"

He whipped around at the voice behind him.

Allison Denny was standing behind him, smiling, dangling his shoes in her hand. Her brown hair hung to her collarbone, whipping in the wind. She wore a blue hooded sweatshirt and white Capri pants. Her feet were bare.

"Ally!" he said, unable to keep the huge grin from his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you as you were coming back," she said. She gestured to his shoes. "I figured these were yours…if not, then some other guy is going to be pissed when he comes back for them."

Elliot laughed, the sound sounding melodic to her ears. She grinned and held them out to him.

"Thanks," he said. His voice drove her insane.

Those gorgeous hazel eyes were sparkling as he took the shoes from her hand. He had never in his life seen a woman as naturally beautiful as this one was.

He slipped them on and tied them. Before he even knew what he was doing, the words came shooting from his mouth.

"Have you had breakfast?"

Ally smiled. "No," she said, teasingly. She raised an eyebrow. "You offering?"

"Only if you know of a place," he laughed. "I don't know where anything is around here."

His blue eyes lit up when he laughed. God, she wanted to freeze frame his face. He had to be on the cover of GQ magazine somewhere.

The words caught up to her then. _Holy shit…is he asking me to breakfast? He's asking **me** to breakfast?_

Somehow, she managed to keep her voice cool. "Sure," she said, turning to get her stuff.

As she turned away, the hood of her sweatshirt blew in the wind, revealing the string to a halter bathing suit top. She reached down and turned toward him again, and he was shocked when he realized that she was carrying a surfboard. It must have been written all over his face, because she burst out laughing.

"Holy…" he stammered. He awkwardly tried to amend his tripping tongue. "You-you surf?"

She smiled. "Well, yes," she said teasingly. "Why else would I have a surfboard?"

He blushed immediately, to her shock and delight. "There's an IHOP a few miles up the road," she said.

Elliot nodded. "Is that okay with you?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright, then….lead the way."

They began walking up the boardwalk. There was an awkward silence as each one struggled to think of something that wouldn't sound lame.

Ally was the first to break it. "So, you're a cop?" she asked, curiously.

He looked at her, startled. _How in the world could she know that? Is it obvious? Do I scream 'cop' every time someone sees me?_ That revelation made his stomach sink. Did he really come off as a stiff hard-ass?

The look on his face made her burst into giggles.

He couldn't help smiling back; her laughter was contagious. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just….how did you know that I was a cop?"

She raised her eyebrows and pointed to his shirt. When he looked down at himself, he realized that he was wearing his softball t-shirt. The initials NYPD were on the front left breast. The back said "Special Victims Unit", along with STABLER and the number 13.

"Oh," he said sheepishly, embarrassed. He felt his face heat up again. "I forgot I was wearing that."

Ally bit her lip to contain the huge smile that wanted to break free. She just couldn't believe it…this man was nothing short of a male model, and yet _she_ was making him nervous? Someone had to be playing a cruel joke on her.

They came to the parking lot beside the boardwalk. Her Toyota Four-Runner was the only car there.

"Let me just put this up," she said.

She began rooting for her keys in her pocket and was surprised when he took the surfboard from her, freeing up her arm.

"Thank you," she said, the shock evident in her voice.

He smiled and she unlocked the door, pulling out a bungee cord from the center console. Coming back around, she climbed up on to the trailer hitch and secured the cord to the luggage rack on top of the truck.

"Here," she said, slightly breathless. She reached for the surfboard.

Elliot almost laughed. He could almost touch the roof of the truck. "I'll do it," he offered. Before she could reply, he carefully placed the board into the luggage rack.

She reached up and pulled the cord taut around the board, securing it in place. Turning to hop down, she was startled to feel his arms reach around her middle, and stumbled.

He tightened his grip instantly to keep her from slipping and lifted her from the truck, setting her on the ground. Ally froze when her feet touched the pavement and he did, too, his arms still locked around her.

They both stared at each other with fear in each set of eyes. After a minute, she said softly, "Thank you."

Elliot took his arms away. "You're welcome," he said, just as softly.

The two stood still for a minute. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So…you, um-you want to go?" He gestured down the road.

Shaking herself mentally, Ally quickly replied, "Yeah. Yeah, let's go."

As they walked, Elliot attempted to ask her about herself, trying to get rid of the awkwardness that he felt. It proved to be easier than he was expecting, and he found himself entranced by her the more she spoke. By the time they reached the restaurant, he had found out that she was 35, had lived in Hawaii her entire life, and worked at the local public library.

He quickly stepped ahead and held the door for her as they entered. They were seated in a booth and handed menus. Being a frequenter of IHOP anyway, Elliot already knew what he wanted. He always ordered the same thing when he came here.

Ally scanned the menu to be polite, but she already knew what she wanted. She came here at least twice a week, and always ordered the same thing. She was a creature of habit.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress said, smiling.

Elliot looked at her, and she smiled to indicate that she was. At his nod, she turned toward the waitress. "I'll have a short stack," she said.

"Alright," the waitress said, scribbling on her notepad. "Your side?"

"Hash browns," she said. "And could I also get a small side of applesauce?"

He almost choked on his orange juice. Every time he had pancakes, he put applesauce on top. He had been doing it since he was a kid. Olivia always told him it was gross when they ate breakfast together.

"Sure," the waitress said. She turned to Elliot. "And for you, sir?"

He realized that his mouth was hanging open and quickly shut it. "Uh," he stammered. "I'll have the same."

"Applesauce too?" she asked.

He nodded.

Ally looked surprised. "You like applesauce with pancakes?" she asked, once the waitress left.

He looked at her, looking surprised himself. "Yeah," he said. "Been doing it for years."

She smiled. "Wow," she said. "That's crazy…most people think it's disgusting."

He grinned. "I know," he said. "I don't get it."

"Me, either!" she said, laughing. He laughed with her.

The waitress came with the check once they were finished. Ally picked it up and glanced at it, then reached for her pocket. Elliot saw her pull out her wallet, and quickly snatched the paper from her.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Put your money away."

She looked at him in surprise, which quickly turned to a sly smirk. "I'm paying for my breakfast," she said. One eyebrow cocked in amusement. "You have to do that in Hawaii…around here, it's called stealing if you don't."

He shot her a mock glare. "Is it really?" he asked sarcastically. "Damn…I knew I missed something in the academy." Flashing her another gorgeous smile, he pulled out his credit card and handed it to the waitress.

She shook her head and put her wallet back, trying to hide a smile. She glanced at her watch. "I have to get going," she said. "I have to be at work in an hour."

Nodding, Elliot pulled a few bills from his wallet to cover the tip. "Okay," he said.

He slid out of the booth and offered her his hand, not missing the look of surprise on her face. His mind caught up a second later, and he made sure to drop his hand after she had stood.

The only person who he had done that for was Kathy. Her hand always fit perfectly in his.

Shaking the thought, he followed Ally through the restaurant, pulling ahead to get the door for her.

"Thank you for breakfast," Ally said when they reached the parking lot again.

He smiled, not sure what to say. He suddenly felt nauseated.

_What if she asks to see me again? _

The idea made him feel physically ill. He couldn't do it…he couldn't be with another woman that wasn't his wife. It was like a poison…the more he thought of her, the more it hurt…but it hurt worse when he thought of being without her for the rest of his life.

Ally stood still, biting her lip.

_What if he asks to see me again?_

She would have to explain if she turned him down…he'd obviously want to know why, since they'd seemed to have a nice time at breakfast. The thought made her sick.

As much as she found herself liking this man, she suddenly prayed that he wouldn't ask. He was so nice, and she knew that once he found out, he wouldn't come near her again…and she really wanted to get to know him, even if as just a friend.

The pair stood beside her truck in awkward silence. Ally's eyes darted around, and Elliot began to unconsciously twist his wedding band, a nervous habit. He jerked his hand away quickly once he realized he was doing it and prayed that she hadn't seen it.

"So, um…" he finally said.

She smiled nervously. "So…" she repeated.

Biting her lip again, she glanced at her watch and rocked awkwardly on her heels. "I really should go," she said, gesturing to her truck. She smiled apologetically.

He blushed. "Oh, yeah, yeah," he said quickly. "Sure…I um…thanks for coming." Looking at her awkwardly, he finally gave a weak smile and said, "I guess I'll….see you around?"

She nodded quickly, hoping he couldn't pick up on the relief in her eyes. "Definitely," she said. "Definitely." Backing up toward the truck, she kept her eyes on his face. "Well…bye, Elliot."

He swallowed. "Bye, Ally," he replied.

He stood for a minute before turning and walking back toward the boardwalk. His face was hot with nervousness and, he hated to admit, a small bit of relief.

She got into her truck and started the ignition, her hands trembling slightly. Tears began to blur her vision, but she took an angry breath and forced them away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

**Author's Note: **Please forgive the wait for updates…I am attending summer school right now and have absolutely zero time and energy. Patience is appreciated. Also, please review! I promise you, the juicy stuff is coming soon!

Elliot took his time walking back to the hotel. Absently scratching the area on his chest that had turned slightly pink from too much sun, he tried to make heads of tails out of what had just happened. He soon gave up, shaking his head.

He had no idea...but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the smile that stretched over his face.

Ally pulled off of the road as soon as Elliot was out of her rearview mirror and stopped the truck. She began to cry, folding her arms on top of the steering wheel and burying her face into them.

He could hear the phone ringing from inside as he approached his room. Quickly fumbling for his key, he hurriedly slid it through and dashed inside. Throwing the door shut behind him, he ran into the bedroom and snatched the phone up on the fifth ring.

"Hello?" he said, slightly breathless. He sat down on the mattress.

"Hey." It was Jesse. "Where've you been? I stopped by your room twice."

Startled, he looked down at his watch and saw that it was almost 10 am. _Damn…I really must have taken my time!_

"Oh," he stammered. "I….I went for a run."

"Whatever," Jesse said, obviously not interested. "You want to come to the beach with us?"

He considered it, and shrugged. "Why not?" he said reasonably. "That's what we're here for, right?" He heard his friend chuckle. "Give me five."

"Meet you in the lobby," Jesse said, and hung up.

Elliot replaced the receiver and got up, walking into the bathroom. While he brushed his teeth, he tilted his face up, examining it in the mirror and debating on whether or not to shave.

"Screw it," he said aloud, around a mouthful of toothpaste.

He wiped his mouth and reached for his bathing suit, discovering with dismay that it was still damp from the day before. Holding it out in front of him like it was a bomb, he looked at it warily and sighed.

He slipped off his sweats and removed his underwear before stepping into the orange trunks. Gingerly, he began pulling them up.

He gave a startled yelp when the cold, wet fabric of the suit came up over his manhood. Sucking in air through his teeth, he continued wriggling the shorts up. Settling them on his hips, he tied the drawstring and began shaking his legs out to try to rid them of the clammy feeling.

Going back into the bedroom, he threw the softball t-shirt on again and slipped on his flip-flops. He removed his sunglasses from the table and slipped them on his head, grabbing his phone and keys.

When he got down to the lobby, Jesse wasn't there yet. He ducked into the small gift shop and bought a bottle of sunscreen, tucking it into his pocket as he walked back out.

A minute later, Jesse, Wes, Ken, and Trent all arrived in the elevator.

"Hey, look who it is… Rip Van Winkle," Ken joked with a friendly wink.

Elliot grinned. "Hey," he retorted. "_I'm _on vacation…you losers can wake up at the crack of dawn if you want to, but count me out."

"Don't worry about it, you guys," Jesse said to the others, grinning impishly. "He needs the beauty sleep more than we do…ten years would do wonders for you, buddy." He smirked at Elliot.

"Look who's talking," he fired back. "You'd need more like fifty to fix that ugly mug."

They kept busting on each other as the group walked toward the beach. "Where are Craig and Scott?" he asked suddenly.

Wes chuckled. "Theresa and Vanessa wanted to do 'couple things' today," he said, emphasizing the words with quotation gestures and rolling his eyes. "I'll bet money that they'll be stuck in some pottery store for four hours before the day is over."

Trent scoffed. "Makes me glad I'm single," he said.

"Amen, brother!" Jesse said wholeheartedly.

Elliot's curiosity was peaked. "You've never married?" he asked Trent.

He shrugged. "Eh, a few times," he said. "Apparently, I'm not the kind of guy that a woman wants to spend the rest of her life with…I'm not much for settling down. The job takes up everything I have."

Elliot raised his eyebrows, turning to Ken. "How about you?" he asked. "You married?"

He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I'm in no hurry." At Elliot's surprised look, he hurried to explain, "I wouldn't mind finding a wife and settling down with a family. I just haven't found the right one yet." He shrugged good-naturedly. "There's no rush…when the time is right, I'll find her."

Elliot found himself smiling at the man's good nature and upbeat tone. He really liked Ken, he was an alright guy.

Jesse suddenly began laughing. "Old Wes over here has sung that tune a few times," he said, elbowing the other man's ribs. "Enough to fill a book of hymns, huh, man?"

Wes curled his lips in disgust. "Fuck off, Fox," he said, cracking a grin. He saw Elliot looking at him in curiosity and shook his head. "I'm not into commitment, okay? It's a lot harder than people make it out to be." He continued indignantly, "I'm a 'no strings attached' kind of guy."

The look on his face was too much. Elliot laughed, seeing right past the man's pathetic excuse. "Ah," he said, grinning. "You're a player, huh?"

Jesse burst out laughing. Elliot grinned at the death glare Wes pretended to throw at him.

"He's got you, there," Trent said, also laughing. "Told you, man…you ain't fooling nobody with that shit."

"Hey, wait a minute," Wes said, stabbing a finger at Jesse. "What the hell are you smirking at, Fox? I don't see a wedding band on _your_ finger."

The opportunity was golden, and Elliot jumped on it with relish. He turned toward Jesse, putting a fake-surprised expression on his face. "So, you told them, then?"

His friend looked at him, startled. "Huh?" he asked.

Nodding, Elliot put on a serious face and faced the other men. "No, that's cool," he said, enthusiastically. "I had a feeling you guys would be alright with it."

Tent looked at him in confusion, as well as everyone else. "What are you talking about?"

Elliot put on the most serious face he could muster and said, "When Jesse told you he was gay. I _told_ him that it was okay to come out of the closet."

The three men's faces instantly turned shocked and horrified. Jesse's mouth dropped open, and Elliot couldn't keep it up. He howled with laughter and had to stop, resting his hands on his knees and gasping in air.

Jesse shoved him so hard that he stumbled, nearly tipping over. His face was beet red, tears rolling down his cheeks as he continued to laugh.

"You dick!" he said. "God….fuck you!"

Wes had stopped in his tracks. He looked disgusted. "How in the-?"

That sent Elliot into another fit. Jesse slugged him hard, scowling. "Good god," he said, throwing an exasperated look at the three of them. "He's lying….Jesus, I am not gay!"

The three of them had fallen silent. Jesse stopped walking and looked at them, his face panicked now.

"Hey-You guys!" Elliot heard from behind them, as they neared the boardwalk. "I'm serious…I am _not_ gay!"

He grinned again. The three looked at him worriedly, and he discreetly shook his head, chuckling. They relaxed and cracked grins of their own.

The sun was bright and the temperature sizzling. The beach was crawling with locals and tourists alike, all taking advantage. The four managed to find a slightly less crowded spot and plopped down in true male fashion.

Jesse kicked sand at Elliot's leg. "You're going to pay for that," he vowed threateningly. "Just you wait."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever," he said, laughing.

"Ooh….hey, hey!" Trent said, suddenly sitting up straight. He elbowed Wes and Jesse, who were closest to him. "Look at that."

Five male heads all swiveled around to see three gorgeous, bikini-clad women walking along the breakers. They were laughing and tossing their hair, obviously knowing what they were doing...male heads were turning left and right, ogling shamelessly.

Smiling and shaking his head, Elliot turned back around to see the four of them still glued to the women.

"Mmm-mm!" Wes said appreciatively, shaking his head. He looked at the other men and shook his head enthusiastically. "You see that?" he continued, pointing. "That right there is the reason I stay single."

"So, what about you, Elliot?" Ken asked suddenly.

"Huh?" he asked. "What about me?"

He nodded toward Elliot's wedding ring. "Obviously, you don't need to look." He smiled genuinely.

Elliot could feel his breakfast starting to rise. "Uh-" he choked, clearing his throat. Forcing a small smile he said weakly, "Yeah…yeah, I'm good."

Jesse suddenly broke in, saying something about the latest NFL game. The others immediately became drawn into a debate over teams, forgetting about the conversation.

Elliot met Jesse's eyes and nodded slightly in thanks, appreciating the aversion away from the subject. He nodded back, obviously having forgiven him for the earlier teasing, and smiled slightly.

He pretended to be listening to the conversation, but his mind was a million miles away. He let his gaze drop to his left hand, draped casually in the sand beside his chair, and stared at the gold band on his finger.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew that all of his friends wondered why he still wore his wedding ring…it had been two years since Kathy had left him and almost a year since they had officially divorced.

It still hurt, so bad…he still found himself rolling over in bed at night seeking her embrace…having to stop himself from calling the house when a case got too much to bear.

He loved her and he hated her….she was still his mind, body, and soul.

"Elliot?"

He startled when he realized that Ken was snapping his fingers in front of his face, grinning at him. Shaking himself, he came back to focus.

"Still with us?" Ken teased.

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled. "I, uh…I just hate the Redskins."

"Oh, I know!" Wes said quickly. "Did you see that play that…."

He sighed in relief when they began talking animatedly again and quickly scrubbed a hand over his eyes.

The sound of waves crashing found its way into Elliot's brain, rousing him from his relaxed state. Blinking blearily, he looked around in confusion.

After eating lunch at the snack bar beside the lifeguard stand, they had clowned around in the water for almost two hours. When they had come back, he had stretched out on a towel on his stomach to soak up the warm sunshine. It had apparently worked too well, because he had dozed off.

Stretching, he rolled over and sat up. He had rolled his cell phone up into his t-shirt before going into the water, to protect it from the sand and water. Reaching for it, he checked the time.

It was almost three. Stretching, he got to his feet.

Jesse noticed him shaking out his t-shirt. "Hey, are you leaving?" he asked, as he put it over his head.

"Yeah," he answered. "I've got some things to take care of."

He turned away quickly so that they couldn't see the smile on his face. He bid them goodbye and began walking back toward the hotel, but he turned left instead of going straight this time.

Walking with purpose, his flip-flops smacking the ground, he approached the building and stopped in front of the sign: **Oahu Public Library**

Ally sucked in a breath as she broke the surface of the water, paddling through with smooth strides. She steered the surfboard up over the crest of another wave and felt her body rise with it.

Going further, she sat atop the board and scanned the water in the distance. It was incredibly flat today; she had gotten maybe two good waves in the four hours she had been out here.

The sun was angled toward the left, signifying that it would soon be evening. She sighed and lay on the board on her back, trailing her feet lazily in circles in the water. Another two hours or so and she'd call it a day.

She didn't usually go out in the evenings….she preferred the early morning surf because the waves were much better. But today, she had been restless after work and hadn't been able to relax. She knew that the only thing that would calm her was the water.

Suddenly, she sat up straight and stared in awe. A _perfect_ set of waves was rolling right toward her. Her eyes gleamed in anticipation when she saw the tips beginning to curl slightly. These were _perfect_.

Quickly turning the board around, she began paddling hard, feeling the water rising beneath her. She stealthily jumped to her feet as the wall of water began spiraling around her, using her arms for balance.

Her adrenaline was pumping full-force and she concentrated on keeping her body centered as the board swiftly sliced through the wave. She bent, tucking herself into a crouching position to gain more speed, and held her breath, praying that she would make it out before the whole thing crashed in on her.

She made it with a second to spare and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the crash behind her of the wave hitting the sand. Standing again, she allowed the board to slow on it's own as it traveled toward the beach.

The board thumped on the sand and she hopped off, smiling. That was her best ride all day. With new determination, she picked up the board again and got ready to dive back in.

"Wow," said an awed voice from behind her suddenly.

Whipping around fast, she almost dropped the board when she saw Elliot standing a little ways away from her. He smiled when she located him with her eyes, and her heart began to pound.

He began walking toward her. "That was awesome," he said, shaking his head in amazement. He meant it. When he had stepped on to the beach and realized it was her out there, he had been stopped in his tracks. "How long have you surfed?"

Turning around fully, she picked up the board and began carrying it with her as she walked back toward the dry sand. "20 years," she said, dropping the board on the ground. She bent down and unfastened the ankle strap.

His eyebrows were raised in curiosity. "You ever surf competitively?" he asked.

She straightened and ran a hand over her soaking wet ponytail. "I used to," she replied. "When I was a kid." Standing almost face-to-face with him now, she began fidgeting nervously, adjusting her bathing suit string and toying with her hair.

Elliot watched her in amusement. When she lifted his head to meet his eyes, he ducked his head away. "The-uh," he stammered. Now it was his turn to fidget. "I asked the lady at the library where to find you." He avoided her eyes, looking around at the beach and the water and everywhere but at her.

She watched him shove his hands in his pockets and bit back a wide smile. He looked adorable when he blushed.

"You came all the way out here just to watch me surf?" she asked in amusement, cocking an eyebrow playfully. She picked up the board again under one arm.

He lifted his head. "No-" he stammered, as she walked past him. He clenched his fists angrily, annoyed with himself, and turned around.

She picked up her towel from where it rested in the sand and dropped her board. Wrapping it around herself, she tucked it under her arms and reached down to grab the clothes that were balled up next to the board, turning her back to him.

He froze when he saw that she was untying the string of her top and stopped in his tracks. His face flushed.

"So what brings you out to the boonies?" Ally continued teasingly, slipping her tank top on before pulling the bathing suit top out from underneath. Hardly anyone came to this patch of the island anymore. It was a little run-down, and out of the way of society. Just how she liked it.

She slipped her shorts on over her bathing suit bottoms and turned back to face him, smiling.

He didn't even realize he was staring at her until she chuckled. "Oh," he said, quickly turning his gaze away. "Noth-well…"

She had to suppress the laugh that was building. He looked so flustered, like a high-schooler trying to work up the nerve to ask a girl to the prom. It was endearing.

Nervously scratching the side of his neck, Elliot averted his gaze. What the hell was the matter with him? What was it about this woman that turned him into a stuttering idiot every time he saw her?

"I, um…I just…" He took a deep breath. "I just wanted to tell you that….that I really enjoyed having breakfast with you this morning."

The smile broke free before she could attempt a professional response. She couldn't help it. "Well…" she said. "I'm glad.

The smile she received made her heart skip a beat, and she ducked to pick up her board so that he wouldn't see the flush starting to creep up her own cheeks.

"So, um….." Elliot cleared his throat, attempting to work up the nerve to ask her the question that had been on his mind since the previous day. "Have you ever, uh…taught anybody?"

That made her head come up, and he saw confusion on her face. "Taught anybody?" she repeated, frowning.

He quickly gestured to her board. "To surf," he elaborated. He shrugged. "Is it hard to learn?"

She stared at him silently, her head cocked to the side. He could see amusement shining in her eyes, and worried that she might laugh at him.

To her credit, Ally kept herself in check. She had to admit more than a little surprise, but could see by his face that he was bracing himself for her to start laughing at him. When she spoke, she kept her words slow and deliberate, trying to understand without poking fun.

"Are you….asking me to…..teach you how to surf?" she asked carefully.

The blush returned in an instant, confirming her question. She smiled sympathetically and placed her hand on his arm. He started, obviously surprised, and she took her hand away quickly. She took her time formulating an answer.

"Well, Elliot…." She trailed off, biting her lip. "It's….it's not easy. It takes a lot of physical strength."

"Could you teach me?" he asked. "It looks like fun….and I like a challenge."

_Bad idea,_ her mind instantly shouted. _**Bad**. _ She made it look easy, but only because she had been doing it her entire life. It wasn't fun and games out there….those waves packed the force of a speeding car going sixty miles per hour. They can snap a board in half like a toothpick.

But he looked so earnest…..one look at his blue eyes and she was melting.

"It's _really _dangerous," she said hesitantly. "I'm not kidding you, Elliot…people have died out there." He kept staring, and she gave up. "Alright….alright. I'll set you up with some baby waves, to see if you can handle it."

His eyes lit up. "Hey, great!" he said excitedly. "You busy now?"

She laughed out loud. "It's almost four o'clock," she said desperately.

He looked at her incredulously. "So?" he pleaded. "Are you going to turn into a pumpkin or something?" He grinned teasingly. "Or are you…afraid of the challenge?"

Ally saw a devilish gleam in his eyes. "Oh…" she breathed. "What did you just say to me?" She mock-glared at him. "**No** one says that to Allison Denny."

Elliot's smile widened. "Looks like I just did," he said smartly. He cocked an eyebrow playfully. "You want to do something about it?"

Glaring at him, she began moving toward him, forcing him to retreat backwards.

"You bet I do," she said, continuing to stalk him. She saw him stepping into the water and grinned. "Oh, yeah…I most definitely do."

Without warning, she suddenly lunged forward and flew at his chest. Caught off guard, he was knocked backward and landed on his butt in the water. She was laughing like crazy as she planted her hands on his chest and used it as leverage to lift herself to her feet. The shocked look on his face was hilarious.

"Hey-!" he cried in astonishment. His words were cut off when a wave crashed around him, soaking his back. Scrambling indignantly to his feet, Elliot shook himself off and glared at her.

She was on the dry sand, doubled over laughing. Lowering his head, he charged at her full speed. She almost had a heart attack from the shock when he lifted her up by her waist and slung her over his shoulder, running back toward the ocean.

"HEY!" she screamed. "Stop it!"

Ignoring her, he waded up to his knees and dipped her down, holding her petite frame inches from the water. "Say you're sorry," he said matter-of-factly.

She burst out laughing. "No way!" she cried gleefully.

A second later, she was under the water. She was shocked as she broke the surface….she didn't expect him to actually do it. He was now retreating back toward the beach, laughing loudly.

"Damn you…" she swore, grinning. "I'm going to _kill_ you!"

She trudged back to the beach. Elliot laughed again as she came back toward him. She was absolutely drenched from head to toe.

"So," he said, smugly. "Are you ready to apologize now, or would you like another trip?"

Ally was glaring at him as hatefully as she could, trying to cover up the laughter in her eyes. She wasn't succeeding. Shaking her head, she stalked past him, laughing, and smacked his arm.

"I can't believe you did that," she said hotly. She picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself. "See if I teach you how to surf now."

"Aw, come on!" he said. "I was just playing with you, Ally."

She froze when he said her name. God….it was like honey.

Walking up to her, he put his arms around her toweled frame and began rubbing vigorously to warm her. It took a minute for him to notice that she had tensed in his arms, and then he realized what he was doing.

_Mother of God…_

She turned to face him and saw that he looked mortified. She stared up at him, their bodies so close that they were almost touching.

"Uh…" he stammered. "I…I um…."

When he felt her lips on his, he flinched instinctively, and she pulled away. His face was flushed. The hurt on her face was easily recognizable.

_What…what the hell am I doing? Why the hell did I just **kiss** him?_

Her face was flaming as she quickly turned away and bent to retrieve her surfboard. Elliot gently gripped her arm, surprising her, and turned her back to face him.

He leaned down and gently kissed her. It was so soft, and yet so sweet that she melted into it.

He broke the kiss after a minute. When she looked up at him, she couldn't speak. Her heart pounded frantically. She was surprised, though, to see his eyes…the fear in them was obvious.

A tense, awkward silence fell between them. They looked everywhere but at each other. She cleared her throat, making his eyes dart to hers.

His hands trembled as he let go of her and backed away. He felt like he would puke at a moment's notice….his stomach was doing gymnastics.

He could see her fighting emotions as she looked at him. The nausea started to rise again.

"You…you better wrap up," he finally said quietly. His voice shook slightly. "It's starting to get cold out here."

He felt like someone had just hit him with a two-by-four. He was an idiot….lord God almighty…he was such an _idiot._

She wanted desperately to speak…to say something. But she couldn't. Her throat was closed.

Elliot ducked his head, feeling the shame burning his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ally," he mumbled. "I'm…I'm really sorry."

He stumbled in his haste to rush past her, and she watched him go in shocked silence. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she tried desperately to call out to him. But she couldn't. All she could do was stare at his retreating form as he walked back toward the road.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

Fortunately, her reflexes were quicker than her speaking abilities. Without thinking about it, she began sprinting after him.

_Stupid, stupid, **stupid**! You're lucky she didn't knee you in the balls, you dumb ass._

He growled angrily as he stalked toward the road. He was, without a doubt, the lowest scum on the face of the earth. This sweet, amazing woman had actually given him a chance at friendship, and he had just fucked it up.

What in God's name had made kiss her? Here he was, spending his entire damn vacation thinking about Kathy, and then he had just _kissed_ Allison Denny.

He couldn't for the life of him figure out which was worse: the fact that he had kissed her… or the fact that since the day he bumped into her, he had _wanted_ to kiss her.

Because, God help him…it had been on his mind every minute of every day.

He had just reached the road when a strong hand suddenly gripped his arm and forced him to stop.

Ally jerked him to a stop desperately and watched him whip around instinctively. She saw defense in his eyes, but the look of hurt on his face was heartbreaking.

. Her lovely hazel eyes were shiny as she looked up at him. He felt her hand gripping his arm tight, almost squeezing. She wore an expression of pure desperation. Elliot's breath caught when he saw the tears trailing down her face, and felt even worse about what he had done.

"Elliot-" she choked, her voice barely audible.

"Ally," he cut her off. "I'm so sorry." The shame in his voice was painful to hear. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking….Jesus, I had no right to-"

The panicked rush of words was abruptly cut off when Ally reached up and pulled his face down to meet hers, capturing his lips forcefully. Her tiptoes grazed the sand.

Elliot's desire won over his common sense, and he found himself eagerly returning the kiss, placing his arms around her middle and pressing her closer.

A few minutes later, they were forced to break the moment and gulp in oxygen.

Ally breathed hard, looking up at him pleadingly. Her hands still cradled his face.

He panted, his heart pounding double-time, and gazed down at her.

She looked into his gorgeous eyes and saw something different there than what had been there before. Biting her lip slightly, she trailed her fingers over his lips tenderly as she worked to catch her breath.

Taking a shaky breath, Elliot's hand traveled over her forehead and through her dark ponytail, brushing the wispy strands back from her face. She smiled excitedly, and he felt his heart rate quicken again.

She watched his lips spread to a full, beautiful smile, and his face lit up in an expression that was as excited as her own. He bent down and kissed her again, light and sweet. Her eyes closed against their own volition and she leaned into him willingly.

He pulled back after a quick minute, and gave a shaky, happy sigh. His eyes were bright with delight, as were hers, and they gazed at each other, grinning goofily.

"So," Elliot said softly, slightly breathless. He stepped back a little and traced a lazy line down her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. He grinned impishly. "You going to teach me how to surf?"

She smiled widely. "Yeah," she said in a husky, playful tone. His eyes lit up mischievously. "I think I'm ready now."

"You done with that file yet?"

Olivia growled out loud, her patience at its breaking point. He had asked her that question at least five times in the last three minutes.

"For God's sake, John!" she snapped, turning her chair around to glare at him. "How many different ways can I say the word _**no** _to you!

Munch grinned at her smugly. "Well," he said sagely, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Let's see…"

She sighed in disgust and dropped her head in her hands as she realized that there would be no stopping him now…he was on a roll.

He kept right on, his tone suggesting just how much he was enjoying himself. "Hmm…Spanish would be…well, "no"…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "German….I think that one is "nien"…"

He squinted, sucking on his upper lip, and ignored the death glare she was currently shooting him. "French…" He trailed off, sounding genuinely perplexed. "Huh…actually, I don't know that one." One eye shut as he thought. "'Nunca'? Nope…um… 'nada'? No…."

"Jesus!" Olivia interrupted loudly, slamming her hand on the desk top angrily.

John did a double take, looking at her in surprised amusement. Fin, who had been skillfully tuning them up to that point, looked at her like she was insane.

Snatching the manila file up, she rolled over to Munch and slapped it down hard in front of him. "Take it!" she snapped in annoyance, her eyes blazing. "Just take it!"

With a huff, she slid back to her desk and angrily pulled another file toward her.

John's eyes shone with laughter as he looked at the file and back to Olivia. He met the eyes of his partner, who just looked at him in annoyance and shook his head before returning his attention to his own file. Raising his eyebrows, he shrugged.

"Well….alright," he said. "If you insist."

Olivia's head snapped up again and swiveled toward him with lightning speed. He was suddenly struck with the image of the little girl in the movie _The_ _Exorcist_…he half-expected to see pea soup come shooting out of her mouth.

"Do yourself a favor, John," she said icily. "Just don't talk for, like, twenty minutes."

It took him a minute to weigh whether or not that had been an insult. By the look in her eyes, which really did seem at the moment to be akin to Satan, he decided that it probably was.

Shaking her head and sighing in disgust, Olivia scanned the file in front of her and found that all that one required was a signature. She scrawled it quickly and placed the file in her outbox.

She looked at the ones still waiting for her attention, and then let her eyes travel over the divide to Elliot's empty chair. Leaning back and stretching, she picked up the phone and dialed a number, cracking her neck and relaxing as she waited for a connection.

After seven rings, she heard a click. She perked up only to discover that it was the voice mail

"Hey, you've reached Elliot Stabler. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." _Beep._

Her face drooped in disappointment. "Hey, Elliot," she said into the receiver. "It's Olivia…I was just calling to see what you're up to. Give me a call when you get a chance. Talk you later….bye."

A muffled ringing sounded from underneath the balled-up t-shirt that was lying in the sand. The combination of the waves crashing and the cries of the seagulls all around made it almost inaudible. It didn't really matter anyway, considering its owner was several hundred yards up the beach and had his mind on other things.

Elliot and Ally had walked back to the boardwalk, and he had followed her into a surf supply shop. Obviously, she was well-known there…he was surprised to hear several of the employees call her by name as soon as they stepped inside.

"Hey, Al!" a man with a Hawaiian accent said. "How's it hanging, girl?" He reached his fist out to hers.

"Pretty good, Drew," she answered with a smile, touching her fist to his. She gestured beside her. "This is my friend Elliot…I need you to hook him up for me."

Drew stepped back and openly sized him up without bothering to hide it. Ally giggled at the look of challenge that Elliot threw at him, obviously uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

After a minute of silent appraisal, Drew shrugged coolly. "Beginner?" he asked Ally, raising an eyebrow toward Elliot.

Elliot bristled at his tone, not quite sure if it had been an insult or not. Ally giggled again.

"Tadpole," she said, laughing. She grinned at Elliot and he looked at her uncomfortably. "I'm thinking long board for now."

Drew nodded and went around the counter, walking away from them. Elliot looked at her, confused. "What's long board?" he asked.

She smiled at him like the cat that had swallowed the canary. "It's usually a practice board," she said. "Some independent surfers use it as their main, but it's good for establishing balance before getting to the real deal."

Before he could reply, Drew came back holding a ridiculously gigantic surfboard over his head. "Here you go," he said, as he came closer.

Elliot looked at Ally incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" he asked, eyeing it. "That thing could fit three people on it."

"Exactly," she said. "Trust me, Elliot…you're going to need the extra space."

Shaking his head in doubt, Elliot nevertheless grabbed the board before she could and hefted it under one arm. She rolled her eyes at the chivalrous act and turned to Drew.

"That's good for now," she said, smiling. She rapped his fist again. "Thanks, Drew. I owe you."

The man grinned. "Let me get some pictures of this surf lesson and we'll call it even."

They both laughed at the uncomfortable look that had crossed Elliot's face again as he once more had to stop and think about what they were implying.

"Come on," she said, still laughing. "See ya, Drew."

"Later," he called out as they walked through the door.

They began walking towards the beach. Ally stepped off of the boardwalk once they had passed the swimming area, and he looked at her in confusion.

"We can surf down here?" he asked. "I thought it was a 'no swimming' zone."

"It is," she said. At his glare, she giggled. "No waves yet. You need to work on balance first."

"Oh, come on!" he said in exasperation.

"Balance, Elliot," she said firmly. She cocked an eyebrow threateningly. "Dry practice first or it's no deal."

He looked at her, standing there glaring at him with one hand sassily planted on her hip, and couldn't argue. She looked too damn cute.

"Okay," he sighed in defeat. "Balance first."

She smiled at his reluctant tone as she led him down the beach a little ways more, stopping them beside a mass of sand dunes that was away from the boardwalk.

"Alright," she said, rubbing her hands together gleefully. "Let's do this."

Elliot stood with the board in his hand, in the dark as to what to do first. She had to laugh at the perplexed look on his face. "Relax," she teased. "It's surfing, not brain surgery."

Smiling, she pointed to the ground. "Drop the board."

He did so, and she stepped up to him. "How's you're upper body strength?" she asked.

Elliot smiled cockily. "Not bad," he said smugly. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "How's yours?"

He was pleased to see her blush furiously. "Stop that," she said in embarrassment. She whacked his chest with her hand. He grunted dramatically. Rolling her eyes, she stepped around him and got next to the board.

"I want you to start out horizontally," she said, dropping gracefully to her stomach on top of the board. "Straddle the board with your thighs." She demonstrated.

The image of her lying like that made his body react instinctively. Embarrassed, he moved to hide the problem by clasping his hands down in front of him.

"Use your arms to paddle," she continuing, slicing her arms through the air effortlessly. "Long, even strokes...pretend like you're reaching for the sun."

She noticed he was staring at her, and blushed, jumping quickly to her feet. "Your turn," she said.

Shaking himself, Elliot walked over to the board and looked down hesitantly. He met her eyes, the doubt clear in his expression.

"Go on," she urged, grinning. "Lie down."

He dropped to his knees rather clumsily and stretched out on top of the board, trying to do it as gracefully as she had. His face burned and he knew he was nowhere even close. Looking up at her quickly, his face twisted into a defensive scowl.

"Don't you dare laugh at me," he growled, seeing the amusement on her face. "I swear, if you laugh at me…"

"You'll do what?" she taunted, not intimidated in the least. He didn't answer, and she grinned. "Shut up and start paddling."

Sighing in embarrassment, Elliot attempted to paddle in the air. Hearing a guffaw from above him, he jerked his head up again.

"Sorry," Ally choked, biting her lip to contain her laugh when she saw his glare. She walked over beside him and dropped to her knees in the sand. "You're too stiff…relax your arms."

As she spoke, she wrapped her hands around one of his biceps and began pushing his arm forward, forcing him to move with her.

"Stroke, stroke, stroke," she coached, as she demonstrated. "Really use the muscles."

Each time she moved his arm, she felt his muscles bulge beneath her hand. Her breath caught, but she forced herself to concentrate.

Elliot could barely concentrate with her touching him. Her hands were small and delicate, barely wrapping around one of his arms. He risked a glance and saw that her nails were painted a flashy blue.

"There you go," she said encouragingly, dropping her hands. He began mimicking what she had been doing. "Now you've got it." She got up and stepped back.

"This is cake," he said, paddling with vigor. "Where's the challenge?"

Ally just smiled smugly and remained silent, watching.

After a few minutes, he felt his arms start to tremble. "How long do I have to do this?" he asked, looking up at her.

He grew uneasy when she smiled sneakily. "Until I say stop."

Five minutes later, the enthusiastic strokes had become slow, painstaking swipes as each time Elliot's arms grew heavier. She watched him carefully, scrutinizing his reactions and movements as it became increasingly more difficult. She could see by his face that he was ready to give up, but was too stubborn and macho to admit defeat.

Finally, she had pity. "Alright," she said. "Stop."

His arms dropped instantly to the sand and he groaned. "Damn," he panted. "That felt like the chin-up tests I did in the Marines."

She smiled gently. "It was supposed to," she said lightly to his back as he lay face down and rested. "You need to have enough strength to tread water for an unlimited amount of time… once you get a wave, it's too late to back out."

"Whew," he panted again, finally sitting up.

"Let's try some basic balance moves," she said. "Hop up."

He rolled off of the board and struggled to his feet, swinging his arms to get some feeling back in them.

"Hey," she said. She raised an eyebrow when she saw that he wasn't looking at her. "Hey…pay attention."

She waited for him to meet her gaze. "Okay," she said, getting flat on her stomach again. "Get on the ground…on your stomach."

He looked at her doubtfully. She rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said in exasperation. "Just do it."

Sighing reluctantly, he gingerly got down flat again. The sand tickled his nose and he turned his head in annoyance. "I hope there's a legitimate reason for this," he said sourly.

"So you're paddling through the water," she cut in, ignoring him. "There's a wave coming." She saw he had his head turned, looking at something to his left. She smacked the board loudly. "Elliot! Geez…will you pay attention?"

He held his hands up quickly. "Sorry!" he said in exasperation, trying to look at her without dropping his face in the sand. "Sorry. I'm listening."

Shaking her head, she continued, "There's wave coming…you're going to turn around…" She whipped her body around fluidly, yelling over her shoulder to him. "Paddle…go on, paddle."

He looked around in embarrassment before reluctantly beginning to paddle again. His still-sore arms protested immediately.

"From here, you're going to snap up into a squat position," she went on. In one swift move, she was on her feet, her legs spread apart and balanced precisely. She turned around and grinned at him. "Think you can try that?"

He scoffed. "Please," he said haughtily. "Of course I can do that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Mr. Confident," she said smugly. "Let's see it. On three."

He dug his hands into the sand and pressed up with his arms, bracing himself.

"Ready…and….go! Snap up!"

Elliot tried to jump to his feet like she had. He ended up crashing to his knees as his back and shoulder muscles protested, and groaned aloud in surprise at how much strain he felt.

"Ohh…fuck!" he groaned, falling sideways into the sand.

Ally burst out laughing. "Nice," she giggled. "Very smooth."

"Shut up," he muttered from the ground. His face was red again.

"Come on," she urged. "Try again."

Getting down carefully again, he sucked in a frustrated breath and waited. She got up off the board and went over beside him. "Don't use your back…support your weight and lift from the knees so you don't hurt yourself."

He braced his arms again and nodded that he was ready.

"One….two….three!" she said, clapping her hands encouragingly. "Go, Elliot….up, up!"

Groaning loudly, Elliot pushed off. His back complained once more and he fell again.

"Damn it!" he growled angrily. "Why the hell can't I _do_ this?"

Ally lost her smile, seeing he was getting angry. She looked at him hesitantly and didn't speak.

"Come on," she said quietly after a minute. She crossed over to him and gripped his arm gently. "Don't give up, Elliot….please, don't give up." She massaged the tense bicep gently. "You can do this….just keep trying."

His eyes traveled to her hand on his arm and back up to her face, a soft look crossing his face. He reached out and stroked her cheek.

She was frozen. She stared into his eyes, feeling her heart racing again. Shaking her head, she averted her gaze before she could get lost in his eyes and cleared her throat.

"Come on," she said, tugging him forward. "Try it on the board."

He allowed himself to be pulled over to the board and lay down flat again. When he felt her straddle his back with her thighs, he froze.

Feeling his tension, she blushed. "It's just to center your balance," she said sheepishly. She placed her hands flat on his back. "Do it slowly….I'm going to hold your back. You're still lifting with it." Planting her feet in the sand on either side of the board, she pressed her hands firmly down.

"Slowly," she said again. "Rock backward like you're going to roll on your side." He obeyed. "Now use your thighs and lift up…pretend like you're doing a squat thrust." Elliot followed her instruction, surprised when it was easier and his back didn't hurt this time.

"Okay," she said brightly, squeezing his shoulder. "Again, faster."

Sighing, he dropped down and waited for her to straddle him again. Pressing her hands into his back, she said, "Ready? Go!"

Pushing him up with her hands, she watched him jump to his feet with a yell.

"See?" she cried excitedly, jumping off and getting in front of him. His face was shocked. "I told you!"

The delight on her face boosted his ego. "Come on, again!" she urged, pushing him down once more.

"Oh…" he moaned as his sore muscles complained. He was going to be hurting tonight, for sure. "Ally…."

"Just once more," she urged. "One more time by yourself and we'll call it a night."

She stayed in front of him. "I'm not going to help this time," she said. "Just remember what I said…use your legs, not your back." She eyed him anxiously. "You ready?"

He looked at her uneasily. "I guess," he said.

She nodded, and he waited. At her shout, he instinctively rocked backward and lifted himself up. She gave a cry of delight, and he was shocked when he realized he was standing tall.

"You did it!" she cried excitedly. She ran up to him and hugged him, laughing. "See? I told you!"

It took her a minute to realize what she was doing, and she immediately tensed in his arms.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I guess I got a little carried away."

He chuckled, tightening his grip to keep her from pulling away. "Thank you," he said softly.

She looked up at him, feeling warmth pooling in her belly. "You're welcome," she replied after a minute.

They both stepped away awkwardly.

"Well…it's getting late," she said, glancing out at the ocean. The sun was barely peeking out, almost completely set. "I guess we should call it a night, what do you think?"

Elliot smiled. "I guess," he said.

Ally bent and picked up the board, and he immediately came over and took it from her. "I'll get it," he insisted. "You have to work tomorrow, right?"

She nodded. "Yep," she confirmed, and groaned. "8 am sharp."

He stuck out his lip sympathetically. "You go on home," he said. "I'll take this back to the shop."

"No," she argued, grabbing the end. "Don't worry about it. I'll keep it…we're not done yet."

At his surprised look, she laughed. "What?" she teased. "You think one lesson is enough?" She nudged his side playfully. "Don't even think about it."

He grabbed at her hands, swinging them playfully between their bodies. "Can I see you again?"

Her wide smile made him giddy inside. "Sure," she answered, shyly biting her lip. She dropped her gaze a minute before looking back up at him. "I'd….I'd love that."

"How about we meet tomorrow when you get off?" he continued.

"Sounds great," she said. "Two o'clock okay?"

He swung their hands again, not wanting to let go. "Yep," he said, bringing one wrist up and kissing it gently. Releasing her hands, he reached down and cupped her face, smoothing over her cheek.

She gazed up at him, her eyes wide and imploring. He cleared his throat, suddenly terrified. "You're wonderful, Allison Denny," he said softly.

The fear on his face was obvious, and it confused her. She wrinkled her brow a minute, but quickly smiled radiantly. Her eyes were shining as she brought her hand up to cup his chin.

"Well…" she said, her voice equally as soft. "Elliot Stabler…." Her eyes twinkled. "You're pretty wonderful yourself."

He grinned widely, making her laugh, and blushed. Dropping his head, he placed a sweet kiss on her mouth, trailing a hand over her lips.

"Meet me at the boardwalk?" he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers.

Her eyes were half-lidded as she had to catch her breath before she could speak. "Count on it," she whispered, pressing her face into his chest. She inhaled his scent, surprised she hadn't noticed it before, wanting to stay there forever.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

The phone rang just as Olivia was taking a bite of her sandwich. Quickly grabbing the remote, she pressed pause and reached for the cordless receiver lying beside her on the couch.

"Mmlo?" she managed, trying to swallow the huge bite.

"That sounds yummy," a teasing voice answered.

She smiled with delight and gulped the bite quickly. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, licking her lips. She stopped the DVD she had been watching and settled back against the cushions. "What are you up to?"

Elliot's flip-flops were smacking loudly against the pavement as he walked. "Oh…" he said carelessly. "Just walking back to the hotel." Two elderly couples were walking in the opposite direction, and nodded to him with friendly smiles. He returned the gesture.

"When did you call? I just got your message."

She shrugged. "Eh….it was a few hours ago. I got bored and Munch was driving me up the wall."

He chuckled. "So what else is new?" he said. "I'm sorry I missed you."

Olivia smiled. "It's alright," she said. "So, what's going on, Elliot? What have you been doing? Relaxing on the beach, I'm sure." Her voice was envious.

"Oh, you know it," he said, smiling widely. "Total slug."

"I hope you get sunburned," she said sourly, the smile evident in her voice.

He feigned a surprised gasp. "Wow, Olivia," he said, sarcastically. "Feel the love!" He paused, adding sheepishly, "And, yeah…I already did."

She giggled. "Where at?"

"Like I'm going to tell _you_," he said indignantly. "You'll smack me on purpose just to make it hurt more."

She fell silent, knowing she was guilty, and he chuckled. "You guys get any new cases since I left?"

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed sarcastically, "No, Elliot. New York is standing still waiting for your majesty to return and grace us with your presence."

Elliot chuckled. "Now, what do you think?" she laughed, shaking her head. "Actually, it has been pretty light. All I did today was paperwork."

He raised his eyebrows. "Fun," he said slowly. He grinned. "You took care of mine, right?"

"Ha!" she scoffed, actually having done just that. "You wish, buddy."

"Thanks," Elliot said to the man who was holding the door to the entrance open for him. He returned his attention to the phone. "Glad to see you miss me," he teased as he headed for the elevator.

"Hey, I called you, didn't I?" she asked defensively. "That's more than I've gotten from _you_ since you got there, mister." Sensing he was about to guiltily apologize, she rushed to take him off the hook. "I'm teasing you….you're on vacation, Elliot. You're supposed to spend time with your friends."

His stomach fluttered as the doors opened. _You have no idea…_he thought wryly, a huge smile spreading across his face. He realized she had said something, and started. "What did you say?"

"I _said_ 'are you having a good time with Jesse?'" she said, grinning. "You know you're going to have to introduce me to him, right? Anyone who can put up with you for this many years must be either extremely patient or insane."

"Hey!" he squawked in surprise.

She laughed out loud at his reaction, her shoulders shaking.

He sniffed indignantly as he unlocked the door to his room. "Aren't you a comedian," he said, throwing the door open. He slipped his shoes off. "Alright, Liv….I'm back in my room. I think I'm going to take a shower and relax for a while."

"Ah," she said. "Too much sun today, Elliot?"

"Jealous," he fired back, smiling.

"You're right," she admitted. "Okay, well, I'll let you go. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Well, thanks," he replied, stepping into the bedroom. "I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"You don't have to," she said. "Enjoy yourself…It's not like I'm going to go anywhere."

He chuckled. "Good night, Olivia."

"Night," she replied, smiling. Hanging up, she resumed the movie, still chuckling.

He put the phone down on the bedside table and stretched widely, yawning. His forearms burned immediately when he lifted them, and he grimaced as he shook them gingerly.

_Oh, yeah, _he thought as he stripped off his shirt. _I'm going to regret that surfing lesson in the morning. _ He slid the bathing suit off and carried it with him into the bathroom. A wide smile lit his face as he threw the shorts on the floor and stepped up to turn the shower on. _But it was worth it._

He waited for the water to warm up and then stepped under the heavy spray, enjoying the feel of it against his sunburned back. Letting the water pour over him, he lifted his hands and massaged his head, tilting his head back blissfully.

Ally Denny was invading every nook and cranny of his mind. Nothing he did could get him to stop thinking about her. He hadn't kissed a woman like that in….well, a long time. Even before they had divorced, there had been a period of time when he realized that he and Kathy kissed each other almost like relatives. The passion and desire that had been so prevalent in the earlier years of their marriage had become almost non-existent.

It surprised him, quite frankly, that he had reacted the way he had to her. She was lovely, yes, but there was something else there that made her seem almost like a drug. He had been thinking about her nonstop since the first time they had met.

His mind was a whirlpool of uncertainties and doubts that was slowly eating away at him. He hated not being in control. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around the situation to save his life.

_Am I getting feelings for Ally, or am I just trying to pretend that she's Kathy? _

It was so complicated.

He missed Kathy….he missed her so much that it still was a struggle just to get out of bed some mornings. He loved Kathy. A million years apart wouldn't erase that. She had been his first true love, and in truth, his _only_ true love.

It still hurt so badly…it felt like he had a limb missing. Even after all this time, he still couldn't get over the deep hurt that had assaulted him when she had left. He felt so betrayed…how could she have done that? Twenty years…two _decades_ beside each other, seeing the other's tears, fears, weaknesses, and secrets….and suddenly it was gone.

How could anyone do that?

"Till death do us part." They had both stood before God and promised each other forever. _Forever. _An equal partnership, through everything. He wasn't the easiest person to love, he knew that. God, how he knew that. But neither was she. That's what had made them perfect, so perfect…their personalities and desires dovetailed instead of clashing.

Well, for twenty years at least. Call him naïve, call him childish, call him any name in the book...but the bottom line was that she had completely broken his heart. He'd never even seen it coming.

For the past two years, he'd had no thought or desire to get close to another woman. There was no one else in the world like Kathy, and never would be, so he didn't even want to bother looking.

But now, Ally had intruded into his life, and he was suddenly flying upside down without a safety net. She had completely sucked him in and he was powerless to fight. Whatever it was…whatever "thing" she possessed inside of her that made her so special….he was addicted to it.

It scared him. It really scared him. She wasn't Kathy….she wasn't anything _like_ Kathy at all. Yet he could feel himself falling head over heels for this woman faster than he could get control over it, and he was terrified.

The feel of piercing cold water on his back suddenly shocked him back to reality, and he wondered how long he had been standing there lost in thought. Turning, he quickly shut off the water and reached for a towel.

He walked into the bedroom and mechanically put on his pajama pants, leaving his upper torso bare. He rubbed his wet hair with the towel and then tossed it into the dirty clothes. Walking out of the bedroom, he went over to the couch and collapsed onto it.

The soft cushions rivaled the ones on the bed, and he let himself almost become swallowed as he stretched out. Lazily flexing his toes, he sighed in contentment and for a moment, just drank in the quiet.

He was no closer to figuring any of this out now than he had been while he was in the shower. He still had no idea where he fit into this triangle of affection, but for now, only one thing mattered.

He was seeing Ally the next day. It was going to be sunny, it was going to be warm, and they were going to be together.

Stretching his body out, he rested his head tiredly on the end of the couch and smiled lazily. For now, that was enough for him.

The couch was so comfortable that he ended up falling asleep. He curled up snugly against the back cushions and didn't move for the rest of the night.

When he woke up the next morning, it was after ten. He stretched, yawning hugely, and got to his feet.

His stomach rumbled as he walked into the bedroom, and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before with the guys. Sitting down on the bed, he picked up the phone and dialed Jesse's room. He leaned lazily back against the pillows as he listened to it connecting.

No answer. Shrugging, he hung up and stretched again. Going into the bathroom, he retrieved his swimsuit and slipped into it again. He was dying to go swimming, and two o'clock was going to take forever to get here as it was…why not do something to pass the time?

He stopped by Jesse's room on his way out and found the door locked. He knocked, but there was no answer.

He took the elevator to the lobby and grabbed a bagel from the dining room, scarfing it hungrily as he went back and pressed the elevator button again. When it arrived, he went to the second floor.

The workout room was sparsely populated at that hour of the morning, and to his surprise and delight, the outdoor pool was empty. A lifeguard was sitting on the tower, though, so he knew it was open. He headed eagerly for the door that would take him outside.

He grabbed a towel from the provided bin and tossed it on a lounge chair before slipping his shoes off. They went on top of the towel along with his room key. The sun was already blazing, reflecting off of the water and making it sparkle as he approached. He stepped up to the edge of the deep end and stood still, staring in anticipation at the pool.

He loved to swim….no one at work knew, but he had actually been a competitive swimmer in high school. He had held the record for the fastest breaststroke in the region his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He competed his freshman year of college as well, but had to drop out the next year because of Kathy being pregnant and go to night school instead.

Taking a breath, he did a perfect swan dive into the water. The shock of cold was exuberating as he spiraled down to the very bottom of the 12-foot pool. He let himself linger there, savoring the sensation and reveling in the feeling, until his lungs begged him for oxygen. Pushing off of the bottom, he shot to the surface, gasping in a huge breath.

His head came back blissfully to rest in the water and he curled into a back float position, letting the water lazily carry him. The chill of the water felt so wonderful; he loved swimming in cold water. People always told him he was nuts. There really was nothing like it.

The water lapped against his sides as he casually began a backstroke toward the more shallow parts of the pool. He closed his eyes in contentment, a blissful sigh escaping his lips.

It was now official….he never wanted to go home.

Ally stretched up on her tiptoes and strained to reach the top shelf, while at the same time struggling not to drop the stack of books cradled in her right arm. She was just able to graze the edge with the book in her hand, and pushed it up.

"Need a hand there, Shorty?"

She smirked wryly at the taller woman. "Funny," she said dryly, smiling at the other librarian. "You're hilarious, April."

April Melling grinned at her friend teasingly. "I keep telling them to implement platform shoes into the dress code," she said impishly, shifting her own stack of books into her other arm. "But they keep shooting me down."

Rolling her eyes, Ally laughed and moved past her friend to another shelf to put away some more of her stack.

April was turned facing her, her eyebrows raised. A small smile tugged the corner of her mouth as she asked slyly, "What's his name?"

Ally almost dropped the books in her arm in shock. She hadn't mentioned Elliot to anyone since they had met, mainly because she didn't think she would ever see him again. But April always seemed to have a nose for these sorts of things. Though married herself, the woman was a hopeless romantic, and was constantly bugging her about going out more. She had weaseled more blind dates out of her than Ally could count.

Still, she tried to play off her reaction. "Who?" she asked coolly, biting her lip and hoping she was convincing.

The smile grew as April's face became more intent. She moved up closer to Ally, one eyebrow raised. "There's a guy," she said matter-of-factly. "I know there's a guy."

Ally's cheeks flushed and she turned away quickly. "What are you talking about?" she asked in feigned exasperation, keeping her head down. She re-shelved a few more books.

April plopped the books she was holding down carelessly on the nearest shelf and planted a hand on her hip prissily. Her expression told Ally that she saw right through her.

"You just puta copy of _The Shining _next a _The National Science of Medicine _journal," she pointed out smugly, glancing to Ally's left. "You're thinking about a man."

When Ally glanced at her guiltily, her friend's eyes lit up.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, her eyes shining in delight. She smiled wickedly and grabbed Ally's arm to prevent her from turning back to the shelf. "What's his name?"

She rolled her eyes, but the blush had taken over her face. Her smile could no longer be contained as she ducked her gaze to the floor

"Elliot," she said, unable to keep the happiness from her voice. When she met April's eyes again, the delight she saw there broke her restraint and she cracked a huge grin.

"He from around here?" her friend continued without breaking stride.

She sighed uncomfortably and absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "New York," she said. "He's from New York."

As predicted, her friend became positively ecstatic. She tugged on her arm and huddled close like a school girl sharing a secret. "And?" she pressed excitedly. "How did you meet him?"

Ally sighed loudly again, embarrassed by the fuss. She rolled her eyes again, the smile calling her bluff. "On the boardwalk," she said reluctantly. "Three days ago…he was rollerblading and bumped into me on accident."

April nodded eagerly and raised her eyebrows devilishly. "He cute?" she asked, grinning naughtily.

She couldn't resist an amazed scoff. _Is he cute? _she thought wryly to herself. _Does the day end in "y"?_

She paused for a minute, considering her reply. "April," she finally said seriously, looking her friend straight in the face. "The man is the most gorgeous creature I've ever laid eyes on in my entire life." A minute later, she resolved into giggles, unable to help herself. "Tall, dark, and the most awesome pair of blue eyes I've ever seen…he looks like something out of _Playgirl_."

Her friend's eyes widened. "Get out!" she cried.

"Tell me about it!" Ally exclaimed, laughing. "How in the world could a guy like that be interested in _me_?"

April scoffed. "That's not what I meant and you know it," she scolded. Her friend had a habit of putting herself down. She shook her head. "So, come on….spill! What's he like? How long have you seen each other?"

Ally shook her head in amazement at her friend's relentlessness. "April, we aren't seeing each other!" she said with conviction. "I only met the guy three days ago!"

"Don't give me that," April retorted matter-of-factly. "You've shown up late and left early every day this week, and all you do is walk around with that goofy grin on your face." Ally flushed, causing her friend to smile triumphantly. "You like him."

Chuckling, Ally dropped her head in defeat and plopped her own pile of books down next to April's. She leaned against the side of the shelf and shook her head. The smile on her face made her eyes light up.

"How could anyone _not_ like him?" she said softly. April laughed at the dreamy look on her face. "Elliot is the most amazing man I've ever met. He's so sweet, April…kind of reminds me of those old-fashioned southern boys with his chivalrous manners." She shook her head. "It's hard to find men like that anymore."

April suddenly looked at her suspiciously. "You aren't robbing the cradle, are you?"

Ally was so surprised that she burst out laughing. "Jesus, April!" she said in disgust. "What kind of question is that?" Glaring at her friend, she continued, "Of course not. He's around my age….at most he might be forty."

Her friend's eyebrows rose as she accepted this. She was silent for a moment. "Wow," she said finally, envious.

Just then, their boss came around the corner. The two women quickly picked up their books and hurried to appear like they were working. Ally moved on to another shelf.

"Well, whatever you have with this guy, hold on to him," April said as she shelved some of her stack. She glanced discreetly at her boss and continued softly, "It's a wonder he wasn't snatched up a long time ago."

Winking, April moved past Ally and headed for the other end of the library.

The words made her stomach hurt. She grasped the books tighter in her hands, freezing where she stood.

She'd seen the wedding ring when they had gone to breakfast the day before, and it had almost made her drop her fork. How she hadn't noticed it before then was beyond her, and she had to admit a great deal of shock.

Her gut instinct had told her to stay away from him. The last thing she needed was to get involved with a married man…half the island would have her deemed a home wrecker within the hour. But she had been alone for so long, and was so lonely. Even if there was no chance of being anything more than friends, she still enjoyed his company. He was a great guy.

But yesterday….

She had been shocked to see him on the beach, but couldn't deny being excited. The man was gorgeous, married or not…any woman would have to be blind not to see it. Still, she'd planned to firmly tell him that she was not about to be "the other woman". She couldn't afford that kind of hurt right now.

But that had all flown out the window the second their lips touched. As much as her mind was screaming at her that it was a bad idea, her heart wasn't listening. She had forgotten all about the ring when he'd looked into her eyes. No man had ever looked at her that way before.

Still, her conscience was nagging relentlessly at her. As much as it hurt, she'd have to find out the truth. She owed it to herself.

It was a little past one when Elliot headed back upstairs. When he stepped off of the elevator, he saw Jesse getting ready to open his door.

"Hey!" he called, smiling.

Jesse paused, unlocking the door, and watched Elliot walk toward him.

"Where you been, shit face?" he continued, grinning teasingly. "I called you this morning to get some breakfast. You too good to hang out with me?"

Jesse didn't smile back. Elliot's face slowly slackened into a confused expression as his friend looked at him coldly. "What's the matter?"

"Having fun playing house, Elliot?" Jesse said, raising an eyebrow.

Anger glittered in Elliot's eyes. "Excuse me?"

Sighing, Jesse dropped his head, shaking it in defeat. He hadn't meant for that to come out the way it had…he really didn't have the energy for a fight right now. "Nothing," he said. "Forget it."

"No, stop," Elliot said, roughly jerking his arm when Jesse made to step inside the room. He looked at him angrily. "What the hell did you mean by that?"

When Jesse didn't answer, he got even angrier. "Look, if you're going to talk shit," he spat out. "At least have the balls to finish the sentence."

Jesse surprised him when he met his gaze squarely and got right up in his face. He had to give him credit for not letting himself get pushed around.

"Look, Elliot…" He looked at him hesitantly, defense clear in his eyes. "You met this girl, what….two days ago? Do you even know anything about her?" Anger was coloring his voice now. He shook his head again. "All I'm saying is…I'd be careful if I were you. You're so willing to drop everything for this chick, and you don't even know what her story is."

Pushing past him, Jesse marched inside his room without giving him a chance to say anything. Elliot glared at the door, his fists clenched angrily. After a minute, he turned and stalked to his own room.

The beach was crowded as always. Elliot sauntered past the life guard tower and stepped onto the boardwalk, checking his watch. He was still a little early. Leaning up against the railing, he watched the people go by as he waited for Ally to arrive.

Her stomach was in knots as she approached the boardwalk. She saw Elliot immediately, leaning casually against the railing, and her heart suddenly was in her throat. Angry with herself for the way she was reacting, she marched toward him purposely, balancing her bag on one shoulder and the long board under her arm.

He spotted her after a minute, and her heart sank at the delighted look on his face as he straightened immediately and hurried to her. His blue eyes were so bright that they almost gave off rays.

"Hi," he said, smiling brilliantly.

She bit her lip, smiling weakly. "Hey."

He went to take the board from her, and was surprised when she held on firmly. It was then he noticed the look on her face, and his expression became concerned. Moving closer, he cupped her cheek tenderly. "Hey," he said protectively, stroking gently. "Ally, what's wrong?"

Her lip quivered, and she struggled not to fall apart. _It's the right thing to do, _she told herself firmly, trying desperately to make herself believe it. _It's the right thing to do…_

She stepped back abruptly, causing his hand to drop.

He looked at her, bewildered. "Ally?" he asked. The confusion on his face was heartbreaking, and she closed her eyes.

_Think about yourself, _she thought desperately. _You owe it to yourself._

"Did you think I wasn't going to notice?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Perplexed and a little scared, he allowed her the space she wanted and stayed where he was. "Notice?" he asked.

There were tears in her eyes as she glared at him. Her hand shot forward suddenly and grabbed his left hand roughly, jerking it up between them. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she persisted angrily, shaking it.

The sun glinted off of his ring, and Elliot's heart dropped to the ground. He struggled to speak. "Ally-" he choked.

The hurt look on his face told her all she needed to know. Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped his hand roughly and began shifting the board to get a better hold on it.

"Save the excuses, Elliot," she said. "I don't want to hate you. I'm just glad we got this over with now before anyone got hurt." She turned away to hide the tears starting to drip down her cheeks. "Have a safe trip back to New York."

"Ally," he said frantically, gripping her arm as she moved to hurry away. She was shaking. The lump in his throat made it difficult to get words out. He quickly stepped around her so that they could face each other again. The tears on her lovely face broke his heart. "Please….Ally, it's not what you think."

She barked out a laugh that sounded like a sob. "Please, don't insult me," she said. Shaking her head, she tried to go past him, but he held on. "I mean it, Elliot. I'm not doing this."

"Please, Ally." The despair in his voice was painful to hear. "Please hear me out." The grip on her arm was starting to get painful as he was so desperate to keep her from walking away. "Please."

Sighing angrily, Ally stopped struggling. "Are you trying to tell me that's not a wedding ring?" she asked angrily, tears making her eyes shine.

He forced himself to be confident and look her in the eye. "No," he said. "No…it is. It is my wedding ring." He suddenly realized he was squeezing her, and his grip dropped instantly. "Ally, I'm sorry. I should have told you when we met, but…" His gaze dropped in shame, and his voice became almost a whisper. "But I was ashamed."

"Ashamed because you're cheating?" she said forcefully. "Yeah, I'll bet you are."

"God damn it, Ally!" he snapped, startling her. "You asked me not to insult you….so I'd appreciate it if you'd return the favor."

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked at him silently. "I'm not cheating," he said softly, gripping her arm gently again. "Ally, I was married…I was married for twenty years." The hurt in his eyes cut her to the quick. "My wife left me two years ago…took my kids from me."

Horror and shame filled her eyes. "Oh….oh God," she murmured. "Elliot…"

His gaze fell, and she felt like the biggest bitch in the world. Jesus, she was cold. "Elliot, I'm so sorry." Her voice was small and meek.

He felt her move close to him and slip her arms around his middle. "I'm sorry," she repeated softly. "Elliot…please forgive me. I had no idea." She began softly kissing his neck. "I'm sorry."

After a minute, he relaxed and returned the embrace. "I didn't want to say anything…I was afraid you wouldn't give me a chance." He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "I was intimidated by you."

"_You _were intimidated by me?" she asked, unable to hide the shock. "Why?"

"I've never met anyone like you, Ally," he said softly. "You're strong, you're independent…you're not afraid of life. Everything I wish I could be."

His words touched her deeper than any she had ever heard before. She found herself speechless as she looked at him. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she kissed his lips.

"You really have no idea how wrong you are, do you?" she asked softly. "You really believe that." She ducked her head to meet his eyes, which had dropped. "Elliot…you are the most amazing man I've ever met."

He looked at her and saw her eyes shining. "Please, Elliot," she said, stroking his cheek. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. Please forgive me."

She was delighted to see a smile creep over his face. He raised his hand up to cover hers, kissing her fingers. "That's no hardship," he said softly, raising one eyebrow playfully.

She smiled. "So…" She looked down at the board in her hand. "You want another lesson?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

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"You ready to take this into the water?" Ally asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot's head snapped up to look at her from the board on the sand. His eyes sparkled in delight. "Seriously?"

She sighed in defeat, folding her arms. "I don't like it," she said begrudgingly. "But you have to learn sometime."

He leaped up excitedly. "Sweet!" he said, bending to pick up the board. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the beach. "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa!" she said in surprise, pulling at him to stop. "Elliot, I need to get my board and this one needs wax." She laughed at the impatient look on his face. "We've got plenty of time. The beach isn't going to go anywhere."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he said. "Just got a little excited."

"I noticed," she chuckled. She couldn't stop the wide smile from breaking free. He was so adorable. "Come on."

He slipped his hand into hers and linked their fingers together, hefting the board under his other arm. Her hands were so much smaller than his…he loved the way his swallowed hers.

It felt so perfect to Ally, the two of them walking hand-in-hand down the beach like it was as natural as breathing. Since they had cleared the air, she was happier than she had ever been. He was absolutely….perfect.

They went out to the parking lot and she let go of his hand to fish her keys out of the pocket of her shorts. "Hold that," she said, handing Elliot the bar of wax. She stepped onto the trailer hitch and got her board down from the top, throwing the bungee cord into the front seat.

"Alright," she said, locking the truck back up. "Let's get down there. We'll get these waxed up and we'll be all set." She took the wax from him and slipped it into her bag.

She smiled when she saw that he was holding his hand out expectantly and placed hers into it. They walked back the way they had come.

"This good?" Elliot asked, for what seemed like the tenth time.

Ally had dragged him past every available spot that he had suggested, insisting they needed a better place. He breathed a sigh of relief when she paused, nodding finally. "This looks good," she confirmed, setting her board down.

Elliot set his down next to hers as she plopped down into the sand and began rooting through the bag. "I still don't see how this is far," he groused good-naturedly. "How come I still have to use that thing?" He indicated the long board with a raised eyebrow.

"Because," she said patiently, not looking up from her intent search through the bag. "I'm not ready to have one of my boards snapped in half when you wipe out."

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with laughter. He glared at her. "It's safer for you," she said. The worry she was trying hard to mask was clear in her voice. "Elliot, it's a lot different in the water than in the sand...it's not fun and games out there."

Seeing that she was genuinely worried, he let her off the hook. "Are you ready yet?" he grumbled playfully. "I'm not getting any younger here." He grinned to take any sting out of his words.

Rolling her eyes, she dug through the bag again. "Quit whining," she said. Seeing what she was searching for, she pulled it out. "Finally!"

She held a bottle of sunscreen in her hand. Dropping the bag, she stood up. "Put this on while I wax up the boards," she said, holding it out to him. "Surfing with sunburn hurts."

He obeyed, pulling off his t-shirt. The sight of his bare torso made her cheeks flush, and she quickly turned her attention to the boards.

Elliot watched her wax down the boards with care, paying special attention to each one like it was a part of her. It made him smile to see her obvious passion.

Once she finished, she checked his board to make sure the leash was secure and tugged on it to check the durability. Satisfied that it was working properly, she turned around and slipped off her sandals.

His breath caught when she slipped her t-shirt off, revealing her turquoise halter bathing suit top. His eyes traveled down to her muscled abdomen as she removed her jean shorts, taking in the lovely tan of her skin.

Ally looked up to see him staring at her. "What?" she asked uncomfortably.

His eyes shot to her face and he blushed. "Nothing," he mumbled. He cleared his throat, toying anxiously with the drawstring of his swimsuit. His gaze dropped to study the sand. "Sorry."

She smiled softly, holding out her hand for the sunscreen. He handed it to her and she made quick work of slathering herself with it, taking extra care to rub a lot into her shoulders because she tended to burn there easily.

"Turn around." Her words made his head snap up again. She smiled at the panicked look in his eyes.

"Huh?" he stammered.

Walking up to him, she repeated the statement with amused patience. "Turn around." At the look on his face, she explained, "Your back is already burned. Turn around."

He did as she asked. Ally squeezed more lotion into her hand and put the bottle between her knees as she rubbed them together. She placed her hands onto his broad shoulders and began to gently massage the sunscreen into his flesh.

Her hands felt wonderful, and he couldn't stop a moan of pleasure when she began to rub his lower back. She smiled and kept going, tenderly rubbing over every inch of exposed skin. Stepping around him, she squeezed a little more lotion out and began rubbing over the front of his shoulders as well.

She glanced up to see him staring at her intently. She flushed, dropping her hands. "I burn there really easy," she murmured. The look in his eyes stopped her short, and she stood still, her heart racing.

Elliot's breath was heavy as he leaned down and kissed her, kneading his hands through her hair. She allowed it for a minute before pulling away.

The look of longing on his face made her laugh. "Come on," she said coyly, reaching for his hand. "The water is waiting."

"Whoa-wait," Elliot suddenly said in a rush, stopping short at the water's edge.

The pair had grabbed the boards and headed for the ocean. Ally had instructed him to follow her lead and gotten ready to rush into the waves when he had suddenly stopped dead. Looking at him, she saw nervousness painted clearly on his face.

Swallowing hard, he glanced out at the huge waves crashing with brutal force just inches from where they stood. He could feel her looking at him and turned to face her.

"I can't," he said in a rush, panic overtaking his features. "Ally, I can't do this."

Ally looked at him, her face softening in sympathy. He looked like he was going to throw up. Stepping back, she moved to his side. He was trying his best to put on a brave front to save face, but the terrified expression was easy to recognize.

She made sure to keep her tone light and easy, so she wouldn't make him feel worse by embarrassing him. In truth, she wasn't at all surprised. This was a common reaction for all beginners.

He shook his head and ducked his eyes, humiliated and terrified at the same time. "I'm sorry," he said weakly.

She held up one hand to stop him and shook her head in understanding. "Elliot, it's ok," she said nonchalantly. His face screwed up and she was quick to continue. "No, really." Reaching out, she grasped his hand, making him look at her in surprise.

"Don't feel bad," she went on calmly. "Trust me, I understand…the ocean can be extremely scary."

He sighed miserably, shaking his head in disgust with himself.

"Tell you what," she said, rubbing her fingers over the back of his hand. She made sure to keep her tone soothing and light so he would see that she really did understand. "You watch me first. If you still feel uncomfortable when I'm done, we'll go in." She looked at him carefully. "That ok?"

Looking out at the ocean again, he sighed shakily. He nodded wordlessly, biting his lip, and shook his head in disgust again. She smiled warmly and let go of his hand. He backed away from the water's edge to the safety of the dry sand and sat down on the long board, his heart slowing.

He watched Ally slice expertly through the breakers and make her way further out, paddling with strong, easy strokes. She made it look simple. After a minute, she turned the board back toward the sand and paddled hard as the water rose beneath her. Whipping to her feet, she balanced on the board and let the wave carry her all the way back in.

He shook his head in amazement. She made it look as natural as walking.

She repeated the procedure once more and then came back to the sand. Picking up her board, she walked to where he sat. Her face glowed with the leftover adrenaline as she dropped to sit next to him on the board.

There was silence. She didn't want to push him, so she didn't speak. Finally, when he didn't say anything, she ventured softly, "What do you want to do, Elliot?"

He looked glum and ashamed as he met her eyes. "I'm sorry," he repeated once again, softly. "Ally, I want to…I do. But….I just…" He looked out at the water again with fear in his eyes.

She smiled kindly. "Ok….that's fine," she assured. She thought a minute. "How about if we just go past the breakers a little ways?" His eyes immediately filled with panic. "I promise, no waves…you can just get a feel for the water a little bit."

He sighed deeply, shaking his head in indecision. She tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Elliot," she said gently. "If you tell me the problem, we might be able to fix it." She raised her eyebrows and smiled softly to put him at ease. "What is it that you're afraid of?"

Swallowing hard, he looked at her rather reluctantly. "I don't like having the waves crash on me," he mumbled, his gaze darting from hers quickly. "They're really big…I don't want them to crash on me."

She knew how much it must have embarrassed him to openly admit that he was afraid, and was touched that he had felt comfortable enough to confide in her. She had to admit a little surprise at his words; she had been expecting something along the lines of not knowing how to swim.

She smiled warmly and took his hand again. "Elliot, I understand. Really, I do. Having a wave crash on you is the worst feeling in the world, isn't it?" She had to fight the urge to give him a big hug. "You can trust me. I'll get you through the breakers. If worst comes to worst, just go under as far as you can and let it pass over you." She squeezed his hand. "It'll be alright. I promise, you can trust me."

He looked at her with uncertainty still in his eyes, and she nodded with conviction. Taking a huge breath, he said weakly, "Alright."

She smiled widely. "Alright," she repeated. "Come on." Tugging his hand, she pulled him to his feet.

Sighing hugely, he turned to pick up the board. She almost melted when she saw his hands trembling slightly, but didn't comment.

They walked down to the water's edge again, and he jumped at the huge crash of a wave assaulting the sand. "Ally…." he said uncertainly.

She gripped his hand tightly. "You can do this," she said, tugging. "I know you can." She began gently but firmly pulling him toward the water.

He stepped gingerly into the foam of the previous breaker, his heart in his throat. As they continued to wade in, he began to relax. So far, the waves had rolled right through them, not even breaking. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

As soon as he had that thought, a huge wave rolled toward them. He could see the top curling about ten feet off of the ground, looking ready to break any second. He stopped in his tracks, his mouth as dry as cotton.

Ally saw it as well and gripped her board in preparation. She looked at Elliot and saw him standing frozen, a look of terror on his face. Roughly shoving him, she shouted, "Go under. Go under now!"

She wasn't trying to be harsh, but out here one couldn't stand around. It would spell disaster. Pushing him hard, she grabbed her board and dove as well, barely escaping the wave.

He jumped when he felt her pushing him and dropped the board, going under as far as he could and praying fervently. He heard the faint echo of the huge crash on top of him and felt the water swirling around him.

His lungs began to burn, and he made his way back up. Breaking the surface, he took a huge breath and looked around for Ally.

"Here," she said calmly, coming up next to him. She had the leash of his board wrapped around her wrist, pulling it behind hers. "Here you go." She handed it to him. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Swallowing hard, Elliot could feel his heart pounding in his ears. But he realized that she was right….the wave had crashed, and he was fine.

She smiled. "Come on," she urged. "Just a little further….go on, get back up there."

He pulled himself up onto the board again and followed after her as she paddled out again. Another wave approached.

She immediately whipped her head around. "Go over it, Elliot," she said urgently. "Just relax and go over it."

His hands were gripping the side of the board so tightly that his knuckles were white, but he obeyed. His stomach plummeted when he flew through the air momentarily as the wave rolled under him, but he managed to stay on the board.

He couldn't suppress the huge sigh of relief when they finally made it to calmer water. Ally paddled over and got next to him.

"Well," she said with a lopsided grin. "I'd say that was your crash course."

He scoffed wryly, but ended up chuckling. "I'd say so," he said, still in shock.

"You did great, Elliot," she said warmly, her tone serious now. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "Really. I know how hard that was for you, and I want you know…you did great."

He smiled in embarrassment, ducking his head. The blush rose, making her giggle.

"Ally?" he said after a minute. He raised his head and looked at her straight in the face, the seriousness in his expression startling her. "Thank you." The intensity of his gaze was almost spellbinding. "Thank you for not giving me a hard time back there."

She blushed slightly as well, dipping her head for a brief moment. Composing herself, she smiled. "I've been there," she said. Her eyebrows suddenly rose playfully. "When I got out here my first time, I was so nervous that I couldn't even stay on the board. There was a whole class of us out here, and the instructor ended up having to sit on my board with me before I could balance myself."

He chuckled softly, relaxing his grip on the board. His lower body was trailed in the water, lazily treading water. Ally hopped up onto her board and straddled it comfortably, tucking her legs Indian-style in front of her as she easily balanced herself. Looking over at him, she got a teasing glint in her eye.

"Better watch those toes," she said, raising an eyebrow. She glanced down. "Sharks like small fish, you know."

There was a humongous splash as he gasped and quickly tried to jerk himself up out of the water. He flopped onto his stomach and kicked frantically, hastily pulling his legs up onto the board.

Ally burst out laughing and almost fell over. She whooped and gasped, cradling her belly as tears sprang to her eyes. Elliot looked at her in alarm. After a minute, he relaxed and realized what she had done.

He shot her a mutinous glare. "That is not funny," he growled, disgusted that he had fallen for it.

She kept laughing without shame, ignoring the smoldering glare he was pinning on her.

"Whew," she panted, wiping at her eyes. Her wide smile made her face glow. "Wow, Elliot…you are too funny."

Rolling his eyes, he smirked at her. "I'm glad you find me so amusing," he said dryly. He smiled, not really upset with her at all, and knowing that she knew it.

Getting his balance, Elliot positioned himself so that he could straddle the board like she had and plopped backwards, lying flat on his back on top of the long board. He trailed his feet into the water again and began swirling lazy circles with his toes.

"It's so peaceful out here," he murmured, gazing around them.

The vast ocean was surrounding them as their boards bobbed in the water, like two specks on a canvas the size of the solar system. The crash of the waves behind them was faint now, and he was surprised at how tranquil the environment was around them.

Ally smiled. "Yeah," she agreed, sighing softly. "I love it." Her tone became almost dreamy. "This is where I always go when I need to think. It's just you and the ocean, together and at peace."

He snorted. "You sound like a hippy," he cracked, grinning as he turned his head to look at her. His eyes sparkled with laughter.

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. Scooping up a handful of water, she shoved it toward him, splashing his face.

His expression turned defensive and smile tugged the corners of his mouth. He scooped up his own handful and threw it back, effectively drenching her. She laughed loudly, throwing more water at him.

She saw a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he sat up, bringing his board closer to her. She realized what he was going to do a minute too late and tried to jerk away from him, but he was quicker. Swooping down, he grabbed her foot and pulled her off of the board. She hit the water with a cry of indignation and a loud splash.

"Oohhh!" she screamed angrily, coming up for air. The look on her face was murderous. "Stabler, you're dead _meat_!"

Elliot awkwardly turned his board and frantically began trying to paddle away with his feet, laughing so hard that he had trouble catching his breath. He made it about two feet before he felt a weight on the board behind him.

Ally hoisted herself up onto his board and grabbed his shoulders, wrenching him backwards into the water. The look of surprise on his face as he went under busted her insides.

He heard her wild giggling before he even broke the surface. She was sitting atop his board, looking down at him, and laughing so hard her face was red. Scowling, he swam over to her and rested his arms on the board, grinning when she yanked her feet up quickly from his reach.

They both gasped for breath. Ally's sides hurt from laughing so much. Elliot had tears in his eyes, still chuckling as he wiped at his face.

"You're mean," she said, grinning.

He smiled up at her. "Sticks and stones," he teased, moving his arms as they began to get tired and repositioning himself.

Grinning, she moved back and sat on the edge of the board, offering him her hand. She laughed at the suspicious look her gave her.

"Truce," she said, holding her hands up in surrender.

He took her hand and pulled himself up onto the board. She balanced it so he could straddle it again, and they sat facing each other.

Ally plopped her feet down into the water, splashing lightly with her toes. She glanced down at the tiny ripples her feet made in the water. The board shifted suddenly, and she glanced back up, startled.

Elliot scooted up so that he was almost touching her. She froze when he reached his hand out and cupped her face, smoothing gently over her cheek. His fingers trailed down to her lips, lightly tickling over them.

A sultry look passed over her face. "Elliot," she murmured, reaching up to touch his face.

Scooting closer, he leaned on one hand for balance and pressed himself against her, kissing her deeply. She whimpered longingly and eagerly leaned forward to meet him, her body flooding with a sudden, overwhelming desire.

Elliot kissed her hungrily, his tongue probing and tasting every inch of her mouth. She whimpered again, running her fingers through his hair, and felt him shiver at the pleasant sensation.

Unfortunately, her lungs were about to explode. After another minute, she pulled away, stroking his face as she sucked in air. She smiled, running her hand over his cheek. His eyes were half-closed, the brilliant blue sparkling as he too filled his lungs.

His heart racing with sudden adrenaline, Elliot swallowed. Her hands caressed his face as he gazed into her eyes, darkened with desire. Her smile lit up her face and she leaned forward, kissing him sweetly on the lips quickly, her chest heaving.

Still catching his breath, he wrapped her arms around her and brought her against him. She collapsed into him and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closing. Her arms came around his middle and began absently massaging his shoulder blades. He played with her hair, trailing soft kisses on the top of her head, as they let the board bob beneath them.

The quiet breathing mixed with the tranquil softness of the ocean as it turned and flowed around them. Ally was so content that she wanted to fall asleep right there, safe and secure in his arms. Neither of them spoke.

She was suddenly made aware of the passing of time, though, when a sudden, violent chill passed through Elliot. She felt it ripple down his back, and instinctively rubbed his shoulders, lifting her head from his chest.

He tried to downplay like nothing had happened, but another one assaulted him before he could stop it. Ally smiled at him.

"Cold?" she asked, continuing to rub his back.

He smiled sheepishly. "Maybe a little," he admitted. Smirking, he pulled her tighter against him. "Care to warm me up?"

She raised her eyebrows playfully, but scooted away from him. "It's getting late," she commented, beginning to swing her body around. "We should probably head in."

He pouted. "Aw," he complained. He gave her a sad face. "Do we have to?"

Giggling, she leaned back and captured his lips for another kiss. She pulled away as he was starting to get into it, making him moan unhappily. She giggled again and hopped into the water.

"Whoo!" she cried in surprise. Sitting out of the water for that long had made her body warm up, and getting back into the frigid water was a rude awakening. She sucked in air through her teeth. "That's a little chilly."

Refastening the leash of her board to her ankle, Ally hoisted her upper body up onto it. "Come on," she said, looking back at him. She smiled when she saw the pout still on his face. "The sooner we get back to dry land, the sooner we can…get warm."

She smiled suggestively. He smirked and reluctantly slid into the water, too.

"Okay," he said, with an exaggerated sigh. He had to admit that she was right. The sun was almost halfway set. "Ladies first."

Turning back around, she began paddling back toward the beach. He followed behind.

After a few minutes, they began approaching the breakers again. Ally slowed, waiting for Elliot to catch up, and stopped him with a hand on his arm. He was surprised to see worry in her eyes.

She held his gaze intensely. "Make sure your leash is secure," she said with a serious tone. "It's rougher now because the tide is starting to come in."

He began to feel nervous at the tone she was using. Reaching behind him, he tugged at the strap attached to his right ankle and tightened it. He looked at her again in askance.

Ally bit her lip, trying not to show how nervous she was. "Stay close," she said. "Follow my exact path. If I tell you to go under, go under…got it?"

Elliot was surprised at how anxious she was. "Alright," he said.

Sucking in a breath, she began paddling again. He followed right behind her and followed her trail. She cut to the left and rose over a huge wave, her stomach dropping momentarily. When she cleared it, she looked anxiously behind her to see him do the same.

The sharp drop scared him. The waves hadn't been that big when they had gone out earlier, had they? His heart automatically began to pump faster as he struggled to keep her in his sight. The waves rising around them made her disappear repeatedly from view.

_This is bad. This is very bad._ Ally felt her heart in her throat as she rose over another wave. There hadn't been a break yet. She prayed that they made it in before the tide rose…that was when the tallest waves began rolling in. Once they started, they didn't stop. The surf advisory forbade all swimming and activity then, because the water became extremely dangerous.

She was kicking herself for not paying more attention to the sun. The tide began coming in at half past four, as it did every day. She knew that. It had been her fault for letting herself become too comfortable.

Letting out a nervous breath, she clutched the board tighter. It was up to her to get them out of there safely.

When she looked behind her to check on Elliot again, her heart jumped right through her mouth. A monstrous wave was beginning to curl right behind him. It was going to break any second.

Elliot huffed, his arms and legs beginning to get sore from paddling nonstop. He paused and pulled himself up higher on the board, trying to ease the strain a little to get some relief. The sound of her shout made him whip his head up.

"**Elliot**!" she screamed. He jerked his head toward her instantly, his face showing surprise at her alarmed tone. She whipped her board around fast and began paddling back toward him. "Go under** now**_!"_

Why was she going the other way? He immediately became stiff with tension when he saw the scared look on her face. She seemed to be looking past him.

Turning his head, he saw the wave beginning to foam as it curled dangerously toward them. _Oh, Jesus!_ Terror shot through him.

"Elliot!" she screamed again in panic, paddling harder. What the hell was he waiting for?

Her words suddenly registered then. In a split-second, instinctive reaction, he shoved the board away from him and dove.

Once she saw him hit the water, Ally took a deep breath and did the same, a moment before the wave crashed.

He waited as long as he could stand and pushed back toward the surface. He gulped in a huge breath and coughed, breathing hard. He grabbed the board again.

She erupted to the surface, immediately looking around for Elliot. "You alright?" she yelled, paddling toward him again.

"Yeah," he said shakily, gulping. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She made it beside him. "We have to hurry," she said urgently. "Whatever happens, do what I tell you, okay?"

He nodded wordlessly, feeling like his tongue had suddenly grown two sizes.

Ally continued on frantically. _Please get us out of this, _she prayed. _Please God…please get us out of this._

Elliot was puffing audibly now. His arms felt like jelly. _I can't do this anymore, _he thought in a panic. _God, I can't do this anymore!_

A smaller wave rose up and smacked him in the face. He turned his head to the side and coughed wildly, the salty sting momentarily blinding him.

He had to stop. His arms were going to give out.

"Ally," he panted. "Ally, hold up!" Hearing his shout, she turned around. "I gotta rest…please, I have to stop for a second."

She was startled to see how much further behind her he was. A wave rose under her again, and she braced herself.

"Elliot, you can't stop," she urged. "Look, we've only got a little ways to go." She tried to keep her panic under control. "You have to keep going….you can't stop!"

At that moment, the biggest wave she had seen all day began to form behind him. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was part of a triple set. Two more were forming right behind it.

He dropped his head onto the board in agitation, but forced himself to keep paddling. All of the sudden, he felt the water rise up beneath him. Remembering the last time, he quickly shot his head around to see a wall of water bearing down on him.

Her mind raced. If he went under the first one, the second one would crash on him as soon as he came up for air….if he went over it, he would inevitably end up doing a monster belly flop. The second option would be painful, but she realized there was no other choice. The size of the waves spelled disaster.

Seeing him getting ready to dive, she screamed out as loud as she possibly could.

"**Don't dive!**" she yelled, paddling frantically toward him. **"Elliot, don't dive! Stay where you are!"**

He stopped short, looking at her in shock. The fear on his face was plainly evident, as he wasn't even bothering to hide it by this point. Her heart thumped wildly against her chest and she struggled to quicken her pace, trying to get to him.

Elliot felt the wave begin to swell, and he was suddenly lifted into the air. His stomach dropped, but it was too late to bail. He had no choice but to hang on as tight as he could as the wave grew in size.

As he was lifted high into the air, she suddenly saw that the wave wasn't curling. Her heart stopped. It was at that precise second that she realized with horror that she had made the wrong decision.

He felt his stomach drop again as he hurtled back downward and he gripped the board to keep himself from flying off. Hearing a slight _whoosh_, he looked up. The wall of water crashed over him before he had time to react.

Ally's hand flew to her mouth in horror. She got a glimpse of his terrified expression a split second before he was bombarded by two-hundred tons of saltwater.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

**Author's Note: **Some graphic images in this chapter….read at your own risk.

One minute he was looking down the crest of the wave underneath him…then the next he was sucked under water. He didn't even have time to gasp in shock.

"**Shit**!" Ally screamed frantically. "Oh, God-!"

She watched helplessly as he was dragged under and the powerful wave crashed down on his board, tossing it into the air. The sight of the broken leash sent terror through her, and she scanned the water frantically for a sign of Elliot.

The crushing weight of the wave pressed him into the ocean floor, and he tumbled over and over as the force completely obliterated him, dragging him several feet across sharp reef. He groped around blindly, desperately trying to find his way to the surface as he felt his lungs beginning to close with searing pain.

The wave had fizzled by the time it got to her. Ally continued urgently toward the spot she had seen him go down, letting the water pass over her without slowing. She looked around, her heart in her throat when she still saw no sign of him.

The last wave in the set rose then, and she was forced to stop before it crashed on her as well. Taking a deep breath, she dove through it.

Elliot felt himself get sucked down again, and he flailed helplessly as his back slammed into the sand. His legs kicked up around his head and he was once again pinned by the weight of the water. He became terrified by this point, feeling like his lungs were going to explode.

Coming up for air, Ally wiped the water from her eyes, ignoring the salty sting. Jesus, where was he? She turned her board again and paddled further, rising up over another wave. Thankfully, that one was smaller and didn't break.

"Elliot!" she cried anxiously, spotting his board floating a few feet away. She gripped it as best she could, looking around. "Elliot!"

Red spots began to form in front of his eyes. He kicked upward frantically, trying to stop his body as it continued tumbling along the sand, and started flailing toward the surface in complete panic.

Just when he was starting to get light-headed, he saw the sky within reach. With the last burst of strength he could muster, he clawed toward it.

Tears were forming in her eyes as Ally dove off of her board. She groped around underwater, trying to locate him. After staying under as long as she could stand, she came back up and took a breath.

It was then that she saw a small mass of dark brown amidst the rough water.

Elliot took the biggest breath of oxygen that he had ever taken in his entire life, coughing and gagging. It took him a minute to realize that he was above the surface, and that he hadn't drowned. He sank downward weakly, struggling to stay above water.

A faint shout echoed in his ears. Ally swooped beside him and dove off of her board, swimming frantically toward him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his middle, supporting his weight.

"I've got you, Elliot," she said anxiously, breathing hard from the scare. "Hold on, honey…I've got you."

He was trembling violently in her grasp, so hard that she had to lock her arms around him. He coughed and gasped chokingly, stunned and terrified. She hugged him tight for a minute, keeping them afloat by treading water as hard as she could.

Keeping one arm locked around his waist, she used her other to swim toward her board. She pulled it toward them and lifted his upper body up onto it as far as she could, bracing herself against his back to keep him from slipping off. She kept pushing him until he was draped across it and she could move.

Coming quickly around the board, she got on the other side and cradled his face, relieved to see that he was conscious. He was still trembling, and when he looked at her, the look of fear on his face was heartbreaking.

"Al-Ally," he choked tearfully, gasping. He shivered and trembled, disoriented and sore. "I don't want to do this anymore….please, I want to go in."

"We going in, sweetheart," she reassured, tearful herself. This entire thing was her fault…he hadn't wanted to come out here in the first place. "We're going in right now, I promise." Her face twisted and she fought the tears that were building. "I'm so sorry, Elliot. I'm so sorry."

A sob escaped as he dropped his head down to rest on the board, but he quickly sucked the rest back. She shoved the board that he had been using away and wrapped the leash of hers around her wrist, kicking hard. The waves smacked her face, but she gritted her teeth and kept her grip tight on the board, propelling them to the shore.

They hit the beach after a few more minutes, and she guided the board to a gentle stop. She dropped to her knees in the sand and closed her eyes in relief as the foam lapped around them.

_We made it. We made it. _ Elliot kept chanting the words in his head, willing himself to stop shaking. It wasn't working…his nerves were on overdrive. Ally was beside him in a second, almost pushing him off of the board in her haste. She threw her arms around him and squeezed hard.

"You're ok, Elliot," she gasped, rubbing his back. Her voice shook with tears. "You're alright."

She could feel him trembling, and she lost it then. Ally broke down and buried her face in his shoulder, shaking with sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

It took Elliot a minute to get back control of his muscles. His heart had slowed once they were out of the water, and he was finally able to draw deep breath without choking on the lump of fear in his throat.

Gasping, Ally drew back and quickly cradled his face. There was a small gash on his forehead. Moving upward, she gently raked a hand through his hair, searching for bumps of any kind.

"Does your head hurt?" she fretted anxiously, combing deep into his scalp again. The fear in her voice was evident as she anxiously trailed her hands down the back of his head to his neck. "How about your neck? Can bend your neck?"

He blinked dumbly, still slightly dazed, as she continued down without waiting for a reply. She felt around his ribs and stomach, searching for breaks. There was nothing except a few ugly scrapes. She breathed a small sigh of relief.

A sudden burst of fire trailing down his left arm woke him up fast. Growling loudly, he jerked his arm out of her reach, causing her to jump.

"Let me see it," she demanded frantically, pressing her knee against his legs to keep him still. She lunged forward and caught his hand as he was trying to move it behind him, forcing it back towards her.

He held his breath, gritting his teeth, as she gently turned his arm to reveal a mass of mottled purple bruises spreading from his elbow to his bicep. They were lined with bloody cuts and scrapes.

"Ooh," she groaned, growing tearful again. She fingered the bruise gently again, wincing. "You must have hit the reef."

Seeing her about to break down again, he quickly leaned forward. Ignoring the sting on his stomach, he reached out, grabbing her hands. A sob escaped her lips, and she quickly ducked her head to avoid his gaze. Biting his lip in sympathy, Elliot gently cupped her chin and lifted her face.

"Ally," he said softly. "Ally, look at me."

Her shoulders began to shake slightly. She kept her gaze down, ignoring him. Finally, he had to lower his head to meet her eyes. Tears streaked both of her cheeks.

Stroking her cheek and wiping away the moisture, he forced her head up to look at him straight. "Ally," he continued, squeezing her hand. "I'm fine. I promise you. I'm fine."

Taking a shaky breath, she whispered, "I'm sorry." She sniffled. "This is all my fault. I should have never taken you out there."

Closing his eyes, he pulled her to him and hugged her. "It's not your fault," he said softly, stroking through her tangled hair. "It just happened. Ally, neither of us knew what would happen out there."

They remained in the embrace for a minute, catching their breath. Sighing softly, she gently pushed away from him and took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. She took a minute to compose herself, and got to her feet.

"Come on," she said, extending her hand down to him. "We need to get those cuts washed."

He allowed her to pull him to his feet, groaning loudly at a sharp pain in his back. She wrapped an arm around his waist for support.

"Come on," she repeated, beginning to gently help him along.

He couldn't stifle another groan at the stiffness of his back, the noise making her grip his waist tighter in alarm. "I feel like a walking bruise," he complained, grinning crookedly.

She cracked a small smile, seeing his lightheartedness. "Yeah, well…"she said. "By tomorrow morning, you'll look like one, too."

Ally stopped him beside the abandoned lifeguard stand. He gave her a surprised look, which she noticed as she climbed up.

"What?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Is it 'every man for himself' after hours around here?"

She smirked, disappearing from view. A moment later, she began climbing down with a white box in one hand. "We Hawaiians prefer the term "self-service."

He scoffed, grinning. "Oh," he said, nodding sarcastically. "Well, that's not at all the same thing."

"You're right," she said, grinning. She skipped the last few rungs of the ladder and jumped to the sand. She waved the first aid kit teasingly. "Step into my office."

He came beside her and sat down on the rung of the ladder. Ally set the box on the ground and squatted down, rooting through it. She didn't notice the small smile he was fixing on her. Coming up with a small bottle of peroxide and some gauze, she stepped over to him again.

Standing slightly over him, she carefully poured the liquid onto the cotton. Placing the bottle beside him on the rung, she leaned down and pressed it to his forehead.

"OW!" he screeched, immediately feeling a sizzling burn. He jerked his head away angrily. "Damn it, that hurts!"

She rolled her eyes. "Stop moving," she ordered, dabbing more onto the cut. White pus fizzled instantly, signaling it was doing its job. He jerked away again.

"Ow, ow!" he said frantically, gritting his teeth. He saw her lips curling in exasperation. "No, really, Ally-!"

"Oh, you big baby," she said, in irritation, grabbing his shoulders to force him still. "Wait-come here." Pulling his head forward, she gently blew on the cut for a few seconds. She stepped back, raising an eyebrow. "Is that better?"

The look he was giving her made her heart start to pound frantically. Staring at her intently, he dropped one foot into the sand and leaned close to her, his face inches from hers.

She swallowed hard, feeling the familiar warmth in her belly again. She caught herself with her lips almost grazing his and stopped.

He waited for her lips to meet his. After a minute, he opened his eyes and saw her backing away. "Hey," he protested, reaching to slide his arms around her waist.

"No, Elliot," she said, forcing her voice to be firm and hoping to God that she would have the strength to back them up. She wanted to jump him right there. "These cuts have to be cleaned before they get infected."

A smile tugged at her mouth when she saw him pout, but he sat back obediently. He hissed again at the cold sting on his stomach, but said nothing.

She swiped once more over the scrapes on his torso and moved to his arm. This time, the cry of pain couldn't be held back, and she winced.

"Sorry," she murmured. She rubbed the cotton over the area once more until she was satisfied that it was all covered. Stooping, she rifled through the box again and pulled out two large bandages.

He watched her stick one over the cuts on his stomach. His eyes followed her up as she continued to his forehead, placing one there as well.

"There," she said, pursing her lips in a mock imitation of a sympathetic pout. Her voice became syrupy, like the kind one used when talking to a baby. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she patted his head condescendingly. "All better."

He cut his eyes at her playfully, and she laughed.

A sudden rumble made them both start in surprise. Elliot's eyes darted to the sky. Overcast skies had given way to threatening black clouds. Ally looked at him with laughter in her eyes.

"Did you look at the weather forecast this morning?" she asked.

He burst out laughing. "I don't even do that when I'm at home, Ally!"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently to his feet. "We'd better hurry." Another rumble sounded as if on cue.

She stooped down and picked up her board. Elliot looked out at the ocean. The waves had gotten even rougher, and he caught a glimpse of a lightning flash out in the near distance. He shivered involuntarily.

Quickly grabbing her clothes from the sand, she tossed his shirt at him. He slipped it on while she quickly shimmied into her shorts. They both slid their feet into their shoes as another rumble sounded, followed this time by a lightning flash.

She grabbed his hand again. "Come on," she said. "The parking lot is a couple blocks from here."

Quickly taking over her stride, he shifted his hand in hers so that he was slightly ahead. She giggled at the overly macho move, figuring it was his way of salvaging his pride, and was careful to shift her body so that she wouldn't bump into his hurt arm.

He felt a drop on his face and swiped at it with one hand. Another fell in his eye. He squinted.

Then, as if a dam had broken in the sky, it began to pour. She shrieked, followed by a burst of laughter. Elliot started running, laughing too, and pulled her with him.

"Where's the parking lot?" he shouted indignantly over the downpour. He wiped his eyes with his arm and squinted at her.

She couldn't stop laughing. Unable to speak, she pointed, and burst out laughing again when he nearly pulled her off her feet in his rush to get there. She caught up to him easily, earning her a look of surprise from him. She just smiled.

Reaching the parking lot, she slipped her hand from his and pulled out her keys. Hurrying to the driver's side, she struggled to see around the rain. Somehow, the key slipped into the hole and she hurriedly pulled the door open, hitting the door unlock button as she slid inside.

Elliot jerked the passenger door open and rushed in, quickly slamming the door shut behind him. The rain pounded on the roof and windshield, echoing faintly inside the Four-Runner and mixing with the sound of the two of them catching their breath. They looked at each other, and Elliot broke the silence first by bursting into laughter. It was contagious, and she found herself giggling so hard that her sides ached. She had to collapse against the seat to breathe.

She was drenched from head to toe. Her khaki-colored shorts had turned dark brown and were sticking to her legs; her sandals squished as she moved her feet in them. Her short ponytail was limp and water streamed into her eyes. Elliot couldn't keep her eyes off of her, finding himself staring at the slight wrinkles in her stomach that appeared when she laughed. He quickly turned his head away when he saw her glance his way.

Glancing beside her, she watched Elliot attempt to wipe the water from his face. His black t-shirt was wrinkled and stuck to his chest like a second skin. His swim trunks were adhered to the leather upholstery of the seat. Squinting from the water in his eyes, he rubbed a hand vigorously through his hair, making it stick up everywhere.

Ally bit her lip to contain her laugh at how adorable he looked. She heard his own sandals squeak as he shifted his feet around his brown leather flip-flops, and she glanced at them. It was the first time she had really noticed his feet, and as she studied them, she saw that his third toe was slightly longer than the others. Bringing her gaze back up, her eyes were drawn to his shirt, sticking to his chest. She could see the outline of his abdomen, and it made heat rise to her cheeks.

She shook her head and started the ignition. The man was too damn cute to handle.

The gentle hum of the moving vehicle was hypnotic. Elliot leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. As she pulled onto the main road, Ally sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Elliot," she said, and sighed again. His eyes popped open and he turned to look at her without moving his head. His brow furrowed at the defeat in her tone. "I want to tell you again how sorry I am. I'm so sorry I let you get hurt."

He raised his head fully to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed with shame.

"Allison," he chided sharply.

She turned her head quickly, surprised at the use of her full name, and saw him looking at her intensely. His blue eyes seemed to be looking right inside her soul. It made her squirm a little.

He raised an eyebrow once he saw that he had her attention. "You listen to me," he continued. He leaned over so that he was close to her. "Let it go." His face softened immediately, making her insides melt. "Okay? It wasn't your fault."

Her hand was resting on the center console, and he reached over to clasp it in his. She bit her lip, glancing quickly at the road before looking back to him.

"I'm fine." He shook his head with conviction. "Alright, Ally?" His voice was gentle again, and he smiled at her hopefully. She shook her head, but couldn't hold it inside. A grin slipped out, and he smiled wider, squeezing her hand.

"You know," she began, a mischievous glint forming in her eyes. "The guys at the surf shop would just _love_ to hear about your 'wipe-out'." She smirked and waggled her eyebrows. "The way your feet flew up over your head like that…."

He glared at her playfully and squeezed her hand hard for a minute. "I don't _think_ so," he growled threateningly. "You had better keep that between us…you got me?"

She smiled widely. "Oh, I don't know…" she droned. "People would _pay_ to see that kind of thing…I'd be a celebrity."

His mouth dropped open indignantly and he leaned forward suddenly, poking her ribs. She yelped out loud and shoved him instinctively.

"Ooh…." A shit-eating grin crossed his face and he leaned forward again. "Ticklish, Ally?" He wrenched his fingers into her side again, making her jump and squeal.

"Quit it!" she cried, slapping at him.

He laughed, leaning back toward his side of the truck. She shook her head, pretending to fume, and chuckled. After a minute, his hand snaked back toward hers again. She glanced at him, her eyes narrowed. Her face melted into a grin, giving away the charade, and she wrapped her fingers in his.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed between them. Elliot suddenly frowned, not recognizing the road anymore.

"Hey, where are we going?" he asked in confusion, turning toward her. "The hotel is back that way." He pointed behind him.

"My house is closer," she said. "You can take a shower and dry off. I'll take you back when you're done."

He considered her statement, raising his eyebrows and shrugging. A hot shower sounded like heaven right now.

A short time later, the Four-Runner pulled off of the empty road and into a gravel driveway. A small house came into view, and she pulled to a stop beside it, putting the truck in park.

The engine died and they both removed their seatbelts. "Oh," Ally suddenly said, as his hand got ready to open the door. "I'm not sure if I mentioned before….did I tell you about my baby?"

He froze, swearing that his heart had skipped a beat. "W-what?" he stuttered, looking at her in alarm. He blinked. "Your-you…what?"

She smiled. "He's adorable," she said, her face glowing. "You'll love him."

Opening her door, she slid out. Elliot sat frozen, still trying to process what she had just said. Mechanically opening the door, he hopped out. His face still registered shock and bewilderment.

_She has a **kid**? Why the hell didn't she mention that before?_ It wasn't that he didn't like kids…but he wasn't going to lie and say that this didn't unsettle him.

Ally opened the front door and flipped through her key ring. Glancing behind her, she saw Elliot making his way toward the stairs with a look of astonishment on his face. She had to stifle the burst of laughter and concentrate on unlocking her door.

Pushing the door open, she held the screen door with her foot and began to feel for the light switch. Finding it, she flipped on the lights inside as Elliot caught up to her, standing behind her.

She held the door open and ushered him inside. He blew out a deep breath quickly, determining not to let this affect his feelings for her. He liked Ally, and he knew that he would like her son as well.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she teased, twirling the keys in her hand. She began walking toward the foyer. "Make yourself at home, Elliot."

He followed her into a small, tastefully decorated kitchen. Ally tossed her keys down on the granite breakfast bar and began looking around, her brow furrowed.

"Where's my baby?" she called out, continuing to look around.

A loud bark almost made Elliot jump out of his skin. The sound of clicking sounded close by, and he watched in shock as a huge German shepherd bounded into the kitchen. Ally smiled with delight and slid to her knees.

"There he is!" she said in a high-pitched voice, holding her arms out. The gigantic dog skidded into her, barking joyfully. She laughed as she lost her balance, bracing herself against the floor with one hand. The dog continued barking energetically, his tail wagging like crazy.

Ally threw her arms around the big animal and buried her face into his massive neck. "Were you a good boy?" she droned, scratching the dog's back. "Huh?" The dog whined excitedly at her tone. "Did you miss me?"

The dog barked again, plastering her with sloppy kisses. Laughing, she kissed the dog again and stood up.

Elliot knew he must have looked like an idiot, but he was too shocked to react. She laughed at his expression, knowing exactly what he had been thinking all along.

"Elliot, this is Prince," she said, scratching the dog's head. She smiled lovingly down at the animal, rubbing his fur. "The most spoiled dog in the world."

As if to make her point, Prince flopped down at her feet rolled over onto his back. Sticking his furry stomach out, he growled insistently, his tail wagging.

She laughed, stooping down. She vigorously scratched his belly, making the dog's foot twitch like crazy. He dug his claws into the floor and whined, looking so content that he was almost drooling. Shaking her head, Ally stood up again.

Elliot finally came out of his shocked stupor. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You…he-?" he started. Grinning slowly, he finished, "A dog? He's the 'baby'?"

She narrowed her eyes indignantly at the trace of laughter she heard in his voice. "He **is** my baby," she insisted. "I raised him from birth." She squatted, petting his neck. "Isn't that right?" she cooed.

He shook his head, chuckling. It was incredibly endearing to see her devotion to the animal. Patting Prince one more time, Ally got up and looked at Elliot.

"The shower is down the hall," she said, pointing. "First door on your left…towels are in the linen closet right next to it." She grinned. "The temperature valves are broken….the hot comes out cold and the cold comes out hot. You've been warned."

He chuckled again. Her eyes twinkled. "Don't use up all of the hot water," she threatened, walking over to the island in the middle of the kitchen. She glared at him playfully. "Or I'll have to kill you."

He smirked. "Ooh…." he said theatrically. "I'm shaking in my sandals!"

"Good," she shot back. She grinned. "Call me if you need anything."

He smiled at her. "Sure," he said.

She watched him disappear down the hall and grinned. _Hmm…maybe I should "accidentally" take all of the towels out of the closet before he gets out…I'd have to bring him one…into the bathroom…_

The thought of Elliot standing wearing nothing but a smile made her heart race. Her face burned and she bit her lip to stifle the giggle that wanted to escape.

_Damn it Ally…get your mind out of the gutter!_

Shaking her head, she began rummaging through her cabinets.

Elliot located the towels and brought one with him into the bathroom. He shut the door and kicked off his sandals. His feet were horribly wrinkled, and he grimaced at the feel of them against the tile.

He thought of what she had said as he stripped off his clothes. _"If you need anything"…_A smirk played on his mouth. _Actually, I could use a hand…you know, since my arm is so sore and all…I just don't think I can handle it myself. _ The smirk got wider, turning into a naughty grin. _Yeah, Ally…why don't you come in and help me?_

He shook his head sharply and berated himself for the thoughts. Walking stiffly toward the shower, he twisted the knobs and waited for the water to warm up. Testing it after a minute, he hopped in. It was hotter than he usually preferred, but it felt so good.

Making sure to save some hot water, Elliot took a ten-minute shower and then turned it off. Grabbing the towel, he dried off before stepping onto the fluffy purple rug beside the tub. His eyes traveled to the sink, and he grinned when he saw the flower-shaped soap dispenser and matching hand towel. Ally didn't give off the appearance of a girly girl.

"Elliot?"

The sound of her voice next to the door made him whip the towel around his waist quickly in surprise. "Yeah?"

Ally stood next to the closed door. "I left some sweats here for you," she said awkwardly. "They're my dad's…he left them here last time he came to visit."

"Uh…thanks," he stammered, tightening the towel more securely around his waist. "Thanks, Ally."

There was no response, so he figured she had gone back to the kitchen. Tucking the end of the towel in, he peeked out the door. She was nowhere in sight. He quickly grabbed the pants and shut the door again, slipping them on. Rubbing the towel through his hair, he picked up his clothes and opened the door.

Prince was sitting beside the wall to the bathroom, panting loudly. He sniffed Elliot suspiciously. Stooping next to him, Elliot held out his hand and waited for the dog to sniff him again. After a minute, his ears pinned back and he licked it.

"Good dog," Elliot said, rubbing the animal's head. He moved back and stroked over his shiny coat, digging his fingers into the spot he had seen Ally scratch earlier. Prince whined again, stretching his back legs out as his foot went crazy again.

Elliot chuckled. "That feels good, huh?" he said, keeping it up for a minute. When he let up, Prince growled unhappily, making him laugh again.

"You really are spoiled, aren't you?" he said, rubbing the dog's head. He stood and walked toward the kitchen, surprised when Prince got up immediately and followed after him.

"Bathroom's free." Ally jumped in surprise when she heard Elliot's voice announcing his presence. He grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "Jumpy?"

She smiled as he placed a light kiss on the back of her neck, continuing to lay slices of pepperoni down on the pizza she was preparing. He leaned over her shoulder and snatched the one she had just put down, popping it into his mouth.

"Hey!" she said, elbowing him. "Get out of there!"

He smiled mischievously and snagged a bit of mozzarella cheese before she could stop him.

"Elliot!" Whirling around, she brandished a spoon covered in tomato sauce that she had spread over the dough and waved it at him threateningly. "You want this in your face?"

He laughed at her, spreading his arms in invitation. His smile was wide. "Go for it," he challenged.

He was completely shocked when she lunged forward quickly and smeared the spoon over his mouth and nose. He couldn't even react.

Stepping back, she looked at him in triumph, laughing at the look on his face. His mouth dropped open.

"I can't believe you did that!" he cried.

She shrugged. "You asked for it." Her eyes twinkling, she tossed a dish towel at him. "That will teach you to challenge me, won't it?"

Quickly wiping away the red sauce from his face, Elliot threw the towel on the ground and charged at her with a rebel yell.

Ally shrieked, dashing around the island a second before he could grab her. He grabbed the counter and looked at her predatorily. She glared at him from the opposite side, hands bracing the counter and preparing to move.

She faked left, and he blocked her, grinning. She faked right, and again he anticipated her move.

"Give it up, doll," he said condescendingly, grinning widely. "You're going to lose!"

Glaring at him, she tore around the counter quickly and leaped away as he attempted to grab her. He stumbled and dashed after her.

Her shrieks of laughter echoed in the house as she ran wildly through the hallway. She could hear him only steps behind her. She heard Prince barking excitedly as he ran after them.

Elliot saw her getting ready to retreat into her bedroom and dove, catching her around the waist. She yelped in surprise as she went flying, landing on the carpet beside her bed.

His eyes shone with triumph as he captured her hands and held them above her head. She squirmed and wriggled around.

"Elliot!" she laughed, barely able to breathe. She wiggled again fruitlessly. His smile was huge as he calmly held her down and watched her struggle. Prince appeared next to him, wagging his tail and barking. Desperately, she looked at the dog.

"Prince!" she cried, laughing. "Sic him!"

Elliot grinned, holding her hands in one of his and reaching with the other to pet the dog. "Yeah, right," he chuckled, rubbing his head. "You made this dog a wuss, Ally." Smiling sweetly at Prince, he patted his head once more and then turned his attention back to his victim.

"Apologize," he demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"No way!" she burst out, giggling.

Leaning down, he began ruthlessly tickling her stomach. She screamed out and doubled over, laughing.

"Stop!" she pleaded, barely able to gasp in a breath. She wiggled around as hard as she could. "Elliot!"

"**Apologize**!" he said again, laughing too.

Her jaw set stubbornly. "Never!" she cried.

He tickled her harder, laughing louder than she was. Her sides were splitting. She flailed once more, and had to admit defeat.

"Alright!" she cried. "Alright, I give! I give!"

Chuckling, he withdrew his hands and sat back on his heels. He raised an eyebrow cockily. "I'm waiting."

Holding her sides, she managed to glare at him. "Get real."

His other eyebrow shot up in surprise and he grinned again. "Oh?" he said, wiggling his fingers threateningly. He began moving in again.

She was ready this time. Shooting up, she pushed her weight against his chest, knocking him backward. He cried out indignantly as he hit the floor, and she quickly pinned him.

"Payback's a **bitch**, isn't it?" she cried gleefully, digging her fingers into his ribs.

His high-pitched cries of laughter were hilarious. He couldn't even squirm. "Okay, stop!" he pleaded. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Grinning evilly, she let up. He groaned, trying to catch his breath.

"Evil," he muttered. "You are evil."

She laughed. "I've been called worse," she teased. He remained sprawled on the floor, laughing and trying to gasp in breaths.

Something stirred in her belly and she slowly leaned over him again. He chuckled, opening his eyes, and saw her poised inches from his face.

He lost his smile and stared at her, his heart pounding. The desire in her eyes made them sparkle and she leaned her mouth over his, whispering his name.

Her warm breath against his lips was too much. She gasped in surprise when his arms shot up around her and pulled her down against him at lightning speed.

He captured her mouth almost savagely and began to eagerly probe inside with his tongue. She shifted herself so that she could balance her hands against the floor and responded with fire, surprising him.

Their breathing was fast and heavy as each battled for control of the other. Elliot was forced to pull back first, gasping for air. Her eyes were dark with longing.

He stroked her hair, leaning up to peck her lips again. She was heaving, so tight with tension that she wanted to explode.

His face communicated his desire clearly. Breathing hard, he cradled her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

"Ally," he gasped. He was forced to stop and take another breath. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she moaned, almost sounding tearful. A whimper escaped as she scrambled off of him and collapsed against the side of the bed. It was too late for her; she had lost it. "Now…..please, now."

His restraint broke. Lunging forward off of the floor, he pulled her to her feet and pushed her down onto the mattress. Her shaky legs gave instantly.

He began frantically clawing at the knot in her bathing suit top as she was tugging the sweatpants off of his waist. When he couldn't get it, he moaned in frustration.

"Ally," he growled, choking. "Hurry….God, hurry."

Quickly abandoning his pants, she reached behind her head and began untying the knot. He moved back to give her room and used the opportunity to slide the pants down his legs. Stepping out of them, he kicked them quickly away.

The string fell away and she hurriedly tugged the top over her head, tossing it beside her. The shorts were next.

She paused with her hands over the bathing suit bottoms and gasped in a breath again. Elliot was heaving with anticipation by this point, almost collapsing to the floor.

"Ally," he whimpered, his erection hard and throbbing. "I can't take it anymore." He gasped. "I can't take it."

Stepping out of her bottoms, she grabbed him around the middle, pulling him against her. His foot slipped against the bed as he slid her further up the comforter and climbed after her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

**Author's Note: **Again, slight graphics….you've been forewarned.

Two years of longing, loneliness, and heartache spilled out and he pressed into her eagerly, groaning in anticipation. She gasped and stiffened reflexively around him, then slowly relaxed as she adjusted.

He trailed his lips over her nose, chin, cheeks, and forehead as she climaxed, whimpering in pleasure. She raised her head slightly and captured his mouth with hers, cradling his face as she explored with her tongue.

A rush of pleasure shot through him unexpectedly and he shook with the sensation. He eagerly pressed harder, desperate to feel it again. The next rush made him growl in delight.

A few minutes later, he gently withdrew out of her. Ally panted, collapsing back against the mattress with a moan of satisfaction. Too weak to move, Elliot shifted slightly and laid his head down on her chest.

She could feel him quivering against her. Slowly catching her breath, she snaked her arms out from underneath him and wrapped them around his waist, pulling down tight against her body. She stroked a lazy hand through his hair and rained small kisses on the side of his head as she listened to him heaving for breath.

He breathed loudly in through his nose, his eyes sliding closed in contentment. Her hands felt wonderful against his scalp.

Getting his wind, he lifted himself up and slid next to her on the bed. She shifted to give him room and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. They were too spent to put fire in the kiss this time; it was simple, sweet, and comforting.

Pulling back slightly, he stroked his hands over her cheeks and looked into her eyes. She smiled lazily and lifted her face, kissing his forehead slowly. His beautiful blue eyes shone brightly as he smiled back at her.

"Thank you," he whispered, stroking her face.

She blinked back tears. The simple words were the sweetest she had ever heard…never in her entire life had a man said that to her after making love. Her throat choking, she squeezed him tightly and buried her face into his chest.

Kissing her neck softly, Elliot shifted so that he could rest against the pillows propped on the headboard. Totally exhausted, he fell asleep instantly, collapsing against her.

Ally opened her eyes blearily some time later. The only sounds in the room were the ceiling fan above them and Prince panting on the floor at the foot of the bed. She looked automatically to the clock, relaxing when she saw that she still had a few hours.

Stretching, she repositioned her head more comfortably against the pillow and looked to her left. Elliot was sprawled beside her, face down, with his arms and legs splayed out across the mattress. His face was peaceful and slack as he breathed.

She gently shifted closer to him, pressing her body against his. Tucking her head under his chin, she gazed up at him and watched him sleeping. His soft breaths were warm against her nose and tickled like small feathers.

He shivered suddenly, and she felt it ripple through him. Looking down, she saw that he had goose bumps on his arms. Shifting away from him carefully, Ally sat up and pulled the comforter from where it had been kicked to the foot of the bed. He didn't budge when she draped it across his back, tucking the ends loosely under his stomach.

Leaning back again, she kissed him gently and then cuddled close to him again. Her eyes drifted shut and she let his soft, even breathing lull her back to sleep.

The next thing she knew, the alarm on her watch was beeping. Craning her body slightly, she raised her arm to her face and looked at the time. Groaning when she saw that she had to get up, she reluctantly slid out from the shelter of his warm body and scooted to the edge of the bed. She yawned as she touched her feet to the floor and raked a hand through her hair.

Prince sat up from where he was lying beside the bed and wagged his tail. She smiled, reaching down to pat him, and reached for the bathrobe on the back of the door. As was his custom, the dog immediately got up to follow her as she walked down the hall toward the kitchen.

Ally let him outside to go to the bathroom and walked to the edge of the driveway to get the paper. The sky was pink, the sun having not risen yet, but it was already quite warm. Walking back up the steps, she called for Prince and waited for him to come running back to the house.

Her bare feet padded on the kitchen tile as she plopped the newspaper down on the bar. She took off the wrapping and unfolded it, flipping through to the local section. Prince sat beside her with his ears perked, looking at her hopefully.

When she didn't glance up, he yipped. Furrowing her brow, Ally looked over. His tail began to thump the floor in excitement and he yowled happily.

"**Shhh**," she scolded, unable to stop a chuckle. She rubbed his ears, hoping he hadn't woken Elliot. "Hush!"

His big brown eyes stared longingly at her and she shook her head with a laugh. "Alright," she sighed in defeat, walking toward the sink.

Prince began panting happily at her words, yowling again. She whirled around. "Prince!" she scolded again, trying not to laugh. "Be quiet!"

Chuckling, she bent down and opened the cabinet beneath the sink. Prince sat immediately when he heard her rummaging through the box of Milk-Bones. Extracting one of the large biscuits, she closed the cabinet again and turned toward him.

She smiled. "Here you go," she said, holding it out. Prince grabbed it with his teeth and hurried off to the living room beside the kitchen. He lay down and began to gnaw loudly on his treat.

Ally rolled her eyes, chuckling. When she had first gotten Prince, she had used the biscuits as training tools to help him learn commands like "sit", "stay", and "speak". Apparently, he was crazy about those Milk-Bones, which she called "cookies". It got to the point where she didn't even have to say the command any more; any time he heard her rummage through the box of biscuits, he would immediately sit down.

But she was guilty when she told Elliot that Prince was the most spoiled dog in the world, because she had made him that way. She had begun giving him a biscuit every morning after letting him out to use the bathroom. Now, he would come straight into the house and sit beside the cabinet, waiting for his treat.

She looked at the wall clock and saw that it was 6:15. Stretching again, she headed to take a shower.

She crept quietly into the bedroom and opened the dresser drawer, removing a pair of silk panties. Closing the drawer carefully, she paused beside the bed and gazed down at Elliot. Her heart throbbed and she sighed shakily, blinking back tears.

_You're in dangerous territory, Ally…don't let your heart get in the way. You **can't **do this to him. He doesn't deserve it._

A tear slipped out of her right eye, and she brushed it away quickly, walking out of the room.

Thirty minutes later, after getting dressed as quietly as she could, Ally walked back into her bedroom. Crossing to the bed, she looked down at Elliot. He had flipped onto his other side and had his face buried in the pillow, still sound asleep. A burst of endearment rushed through her as she stooped down and gently began scratching his back.

The pleasant feeling roused him and she heard him grunt sleepily. He rolled over slowly, settling back into the warm mattress with a sigh, and went back to sleep.

Leaning forward, she brushed his lips with hers. "Hey," she whispered, when his eyes cracked open. She stroked his face and kissed him again. "I have to go to work."

He blinked tiredly, sucking in a breath loudly as he stretched out. "I'll get up," he said groggily, beginning to prop himself on one elbow.

"No, don't," she said softly. "Stay in bed."

He yawned, still so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. "You sure?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah," she said insistently, her voice gentle. "Sleep in."

He blinked tiredly, leaning up for a kiss. She leaned down to give him one.

"I'll come pick you up," he said huskily, wrapping his arms around her. He cupped her cheek with his hand.

She smiled warmly. "Sounds good," she said. Bending again, she gave him another kiss, unable to resist holding it out. She wanted to stay curled up with him all day. Hating her job at the moment, she reluctantly broke the kiss and backed away from the bed.

"See you later," she called softly from the doorway.

Elliot watched her go with a smile, his eyes shining. Yawning again, he settled back under the warm covers and wrapped his arms around her pillow, burying his face into it.

Ally paused beside the wall outside the room where Prince lay, panting contentedly. Stooping beside him, she rubbed his head lovingly. She sighed sadly.

"Go keep him company, baby," she murmured, rubbing his front paw. Leaning forward, she kissed his nose and received a sloppy lick in the face. Smiling, she wiped her face and gestured to Prince. "Go on."

The dog paused for a minute, looking at her, then got to his feet and went into the bedroom. He jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to Elliot, resting his head on the bed and sighing.

Ally sighed as well and reluctantly walked toward the kitchen to get her keys.

The sound of heavy panting next to him broke through Elliot's slumber, and he gradually woke up. Raising his head from where he had it pressed into the pillow, he cracked an eye open and looked to his left.

Prince snuggled his face into Elliot's neck, panting happily, and thumped his tail against the bed so hard that the bed shook. Groaning, he tried to push away from the animal, only to have the dog begin to lick his face vigorously.

"Ugh!" he sputtered, laughing. He pushed himself off of his stomach and scooted away from reach. "Get a breath mint, brother."

Prince looked at him with his head cocked. Elliot burst out laughing and leaned forward to pet him. "Good morning to you, too," he said.

Pushing himself all the way up, he pushed the blankets off of his stomach and slid his feet to the forward. He reached down and picked up his pants, putting them on slowly. A wide smile spread over his face as he remembered the previous night.

Ally was amazing, such a giving lover. It was an incredible treat to be on the receiving end as well as the giving. He hadn't felt that kind of pleasure in a long time. Where Kathy had been gentle, Ally was more spontaneous and rough. He couldn't deny that the change was exhilarating.

He sucked in a breath as he stood up, freezing in his tracks.

_Shit…shit! I just thought about Kathy, Ally, and having sex in the same sentence!_

Growling, he smacked himself harshly on the forehead and roughly shook his head to force the thoughts from his mind.

Elliot changed back into the clothes he had worn the day before and made sure the back door was locked. Prince whined when he opened the front door. He paused, locking it, and glanced at the dog.

"I'll see you later, big fella," he promised, stroking the animal's ears. "Be good."

He shut the door and left the house, walking back toward the hotel.

Ally pulled the Four-Runner into the parking lot of the library and parked, shutting off the engine. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, dropping her head against the steering wheel.

Closing her eyes, she was overwhelmed with sensory memories of the previous night. A smile of pleasure graced her features.

It had been an experience that she had only dreamed of before. Everything about him was perfect… the way he had rested his hands behind her head when she came, so that when she flew back against the bed she wouldn't hit the headboard...how his eyes glowed as he was fading into sleep, looking at her with the most peaceful expression…discovering that his body was so ridiculously tanned that couldn't be anything but natural.

But it was his manner that touched her the most. She had never been treated so sweetly….she still couldn't stop thanking about when he had thanked her. How in the world did such an amazing man come to exist?

Tears began rushing out. Her heart battled feelings of guilt and longing…she didn't know what she was going to do. She wanted to pretend like there was nothing wrong. She wanted to keep him and never let him go. But how could she live with herself if she did that?

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

Elliot whipped his head to the right in surprise, his hand about to stick the room key into the lock. Jesse strode up to him, leaning against the wall beside him with a smirk. His face radiated coldness, though, and Elliot immediately put his guard up.

Glancing at him warningly, Elliot continued unlocking his door. Jesse kept right on going.

"So…what?" he taunted. "Are you going to change jobs now? Become a pimp on the street corner?"

With lightening speed, Elliot whipped around suddenly and got right up in the other man's face, catching him by surprise.

"Jesse," he growled. "Shut…your….fucking….mouth. **Now."**

His friend sneered at him, but didn't reply, moving away slightly. His gaze hazy with anger, he finished unlocking the door and went inside. Jesse followed after him.

"Look, I'm sorry to be an ass," he said to Elliot's back, following him through the living room. Elliot didn't respond. "I just….think you need to slow things down."

"Ha!" The harsh, condescending bark was dry and bitter as he turned around to face Jesse. "_You _think that _I_ should slow down?" He raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell do you think you are, Jesse?"

Jesse's eyes narrowed. "I'm a guy watching his best friend go in over his head," he snapped angrily, returning the glare his friend was throwing at him. "Elliot, look at you! You meet some chick on vacation, sleep with her, and now you think it's all going to be 'happily ever after'?" He scoffed in disbelief. "Open your fucking _eyes_, man! She's using you!"

"**Get out, Jesse!" **

He was so angry that his eyes were glinting. He strode up and grabbed a fistful of Jesse's shirt, yanking him forward roughly.

"I swear to God," he hissed. "I swear to **God** you are about three seconds away from swallowing your teeth." He glared at him a moment longer and shoved him away. "I mean it. Leave."

Jesse straightened his shirt, glaring at Elliot. "Fine," he spat out. "That's fine, Elliot. You do whatever the hell you want." Yanking the door open, he stood in the doorway and looked at him with his eyes narrowed. "But don't be surprised when the whole fucking thing caves in on you...you're playing with fire, man. I'm telling you."

Before he could snarl a nasty retort, Jesse was gone. Cursing angrily, he stormed into the bedroom, flinging himself down on the bed.

"Bye, Susan," Ally called to the service desk clerk, as she was leaving for the day. "See you tomorrow."

The matronly woman smiled at her warmly, pausing in her typing. "Bye, hon. Enjoy your night."

Smiling, she stepped out the back door. Her heart melted when she saw Elliot sitting on a bench next to the building with Prince beside him on a leash.

He smiled when he saw her and rose to his feet, letting go of the leash when Prince began clambering to get her. She petted the dog as he circled her excitedly, barking and sniffing.

"I'm surprised you managed to get him on a leash," she commented as he neared her. He bent down and kissed her lips. "He can be a handful."

"I noticed, trust me," Elliot said wryly. "He walked _me_ down the street."

She giggled at the image. "Welcome to my world," she said, shifting her work bag over her shoulder.

He reached out and slid the bag down her arm, holding it in one hand while he reached for her hand with the other. Smiling, Ally took it as they began walking away from the library.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

God, she loved his eyes! She could stare into them all day. "Sure," she said, smiling. "My house?"

His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I seem to remember that we didn't get around to dinner when we were at your house last time."

A blush rose instantly, making him laugh. He squeezed her hand. "No," he went on. "I have somewhere 'else' in mind tonight." She suddenly saw that he had a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Oh?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "And where exactly would this 'somewhere else' be?"

He smiled devilishly, but didn't answer.

They walked up her driveway and to the door. "Wait," she said, seeing him stay on the bottom step. "You aren't coming in?" She smiled teasingly.

He smirked. "Nice try," he said, winking. "Meet me at the hotel at 6:30….and wear something nice." His shit-eating grin made her even more suspicious as he turned to leave.

"Elliot!" she cried, catching his arm. "Tell me where we're going!"

He cocked an eyebrow, grinning widely. Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me," she demanded, trying to poke his ribcage. He caught her hand.

"6:30," he repeated, smirking as he let her go.

"Elliot!"

He chuckled as he walked down the driveway, hearing her protesting loudly behind him.

"Holy…."

Don Cragen looked up from his report to see John, Fin, and Olivia trudge into the squad room. All three were covered in mud.

Olivia groaned as she gingerly leaned over her desk, searching for her car keys.

"What in God's name happened to you guys?"

She jumped at the captain's outburst, looking at him sheepishly as he looked at them in shock. Fin scowled, pointing at her.

"It was all Calamity Jane's idea," he said sourly. "Ask her."

Cragen raised an eyebrow, and Olivia blushed. "Olivia?"

"We got a call while we were at lunch from some officers needing assistance in Greenwich," she said. "Since we were right there anyway, the three of us responded." She looked at Don glumly. "Dispatch didn't mention that the address was on a farm."

"A _hog_ farm," John threw in bitterly, glaring at Olivia.

"So how did you guys end up taking mud baths?" Cragen persisted, looking at them like they were nuts.

Fin shook his head in disgust. "Perp was some manic farmer….locked himself in a barn and said he was going to kill himself. Officers on the scene had the SWAT team on the way." He glared at Olivia. "But _some_body got impatient."

She blushed again. "Look, I said I was sorry, alright?" she snapped angrily.

"What _happened_?" Cragen asked again, growing exasperated.

Olivia shook her head in disgust. "I thought we could flank him from the back before SWAT showed up," she said. She glanced angrily at her colleagues. "Don't push all the blame on me….you guys agreed to it!"

John scoffed in disgust, barreling on with the story as if she hadn't spoken. "She starts heading toward the back…_by herself…_" He glared at her again. "So we follow after her. We get around the corner and there's this huge mud hole…she doesn't see it until it's too late. She slips, and turns around to grab _me_…I try to jump out of the way and _buffoon _over there…" He points to Fin. "Plows into me."

He gestured to his clothes and said wryly, "And this is what you get."

Cragen shook his head in disgust. "Lord," he said, rolling his eyes. "Here I thought I've seen it all." He saw Fin getting ready to sit down and quickly barked at him, making him jump. "Uh-uh….I don't _think_ so!"

He made a circling gesture with his finger. "You three get the hell out of my precinct….go home right now and take showers. I don't need you turning this place into a pigsty." He smirked suddenly. "No pun intended." He raised his eyebrows. "Go. Now. That's an order."

Olivia sighed as she pocketed her keys. John and Fin were still giving her death glares. He bit back a laugh as he listened to them snarking as they were walking out the door.

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Olivia cried in exasperation. Her voice carried away. "So I made one damn mistake…"

Shaking his head, Don grinned again. This was why he loved the unit so much…it never got boring.

Elliot stepped out of the elevator and headed toward the gym. He spotted a familiar figure coming in the opposite direction and grinned, planting himself in her path.

Theresa jumped in surprise, obviously not paying attention, and smiled. "Hey!" she said. "Where you been, Elliot? We haven't seen you for a few days here lately."

He felt a flush rise up his cheeks. "Oh…" he stammered. "I've….I've been around." He shrugged carelessly, hoping she wouldn't notice the slight tremor that always caught his voice when he was trying to avoid a subject. "Where are you off to?"

"I am actually going to change clothes," she said. "We're going to dinner in about an hour." She glanced quizzically at him. "Aren't you coming?"

A surge of anger rushed through him. _That bastard_. "I….I didn't know you were going," he said. "Jesse didn't mention it to me."

She looked surprised. "Oh….well, we should be leaving in about a half-hour or so. You can still join us."

He smiled. "Thanks," he said. "But I've actually got plans tonight. What are you doing tomorrow?" _My God, _he suddenly thought. _We're leaving in two days._ It hadn't even occurred to him.

His thoughts immediately rushed to Ally. He had two days left with her. How could time have gone by so quickly? How was he going to tell her?

"Oh, what?" he said, realizing he hadn't heard a word Theresa had said.

She rolled her eyes playfully and smiled. "Back to earth, space cadet," she teased. He smiled sheepishly. "We're going down to Lunai for some hiking ….Scott signed up with a tour guide this morning. Craig and Vanessa are going, and I think Ken said he was, too." She raised her eyebrows. "You want to come?"

He smiled. "Sure," he said. "Sounds like fun."

"Cool," she agreed. She checked her watch. "I'd better head up. We're leaving at 11 tomorrow morning, so meet us in the lobby."

"Alright," he agreed. "See ya."

She smiled, winking pleasantly, and headed toward the elevators.

By some miracle, Elliot spotted an empty treadmill when he walked in the door. He quickly made a beeline for it, hoping no one else would beat him. Stepping up onto the machine, he dropped his water bottle in the holder and reached for his Walkman. Setting the controls for a jogging speed, he settled into his rhythm and cranked up the music.

He always lost himself when he ran, always had. The radio station went through song after song, and he just kept running. He slowed when he felt a slight burn in his calves, and was surprised to find that he had been running for an hour and a half. He was drenched with sweat.

Slowing the machine to a walk to cool down, he sucked down water and gasped in air. He hadn't even noticed the physical strain. It was a good thing when he was running, but it wasn't so good when he stopped. A shooting pain rippled through his calf muscles when he stepped off of the machine and he groaned. His legs felt like they weighed twenty-five pounds.

He glanced at the huge clock in the lobby as he hobbled past it and saw it was half past five. He had just enough time to shower and get dressed before Ally showed up.

The thought brought a smile to his face as he anticipated the night ahead.

Ally let out a nervous breath once she was in the elevator and fidgeted out of habit, twirling the silver bangle bracelet around her left wrist. She fiddled with the thin strap of her small black purse and tapped her heel anxiously as she watched the numbers.

The car stopped and the doors opened. Taking another deep breath, she stepped out, suddenly made known of how loudly her heels sounded on the linoleum. Glancing around self-consciously, she was thankful for the empty hallway.

Elliot studied himself critically in the bathroom mirror, tilting his face left and right to check for any nicks he may have made when he shaved. Straightening, he tugged on the collar of his navy blue polo shirt for the hundredth time since putting it on and nervously smoothed his hands down his khaki Dockers again.

He rubbed some aftershave in his palms and patted his face, followed by cologne. He had always been self-conscious when he wore cologne….he was always afraid that he was either going to overdo it or not put on enough. After a minute of consideration, he dabbed a few drops under his arms, just in case. That sparked another thought, and he furrowed his brow anxiously while he did a breath-check.

Letting out a breath through his nose, he studied his reflection again, frowning. He looked uptight. Shaking his shoulders, he popped his neck and worked his jaw, trying to force the tension away.

A light knock came on the door, and his heart began to race. Why was he so nervous? Lord…he was acting like a kid going to prom. He put on a game face and nodded at his reflection. Turning out the light, he walked out of the bathroom.

The door opened. Ally's eyes lit up when she saw him, her heart thumping like crazy. He looked so god damn sexy that she almost gasped. He wore a short-sleeved navy blue polo that showed off his tanned, muscled arms. His khakis were loose-fitting and he wore a brown belt that matched his shoes. The shirt contrasted with his eyes beautifully, making them appear an icy-blue that stood out dramatically.

Those eyes combined with that gorgeous smile made her so weak in the knees that she almost had to grasp the doorframe to keep her upright. She smiled hugely, conveying her approval.

Elliot knew he was staring and tried to jerk his eyes away, but he wasn't succeeding. It had taken all of his effort for his jaw not to drop when he had opened the door.

Ally had on a lavender summer dress that flowed past her knees, barely grazing the tips of her silver heels. It was simple yet subtly elegant. The material was loose around her thighs and slightly hugged her midriff. The dress had a v-shaped neckline that plunged enough to expose her chest, but covered her breasts just enough to make his mind spin. Her hair was in a loose bun and she had made up her eyes as subtly as she could while still making them noticeable.

She was grinning at him almost teasingly, like she knew exactly how his body was reacting to her and loved every minute.

"Hi," he said finally.

She chuckled. "Hi."

He shook his head quickly. "Wow," he said, grinning. His eyebrows rose. "You look…." He chuckled again, unable to get his tongue to cooperate, and repeated in an awed voice, "Wow."

Ally smiled widely, loving how adorable he was. "Thank you," she replied. She cocked an eyebrow. "You look pretty 'wow' there yourself, you know."

He grinned cockily. "I try," he said mischievously, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

She rolled her eyes, making him chuckle. "So are we going somewhere? Or are we just going to stand here and stare at each other all night?' she asked in a sarcastic, playful tone.

"Patience," he said, looking at her in amusement. "Geez, Ally….spoil the mood, why don't you!" He grinned again to show her he was teasing her.

"Oh," she said in a condescending voice. She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Sorry….didn't know you had-"

Her words were cut short when Elliot moved out of the doorway and produced a single pink rose. A blush rose in her cheeks and she wanted to sink right through the floor. Here she was being a smartass and giving him a hard time, and he was actually trying to be sweet to her.

"Oh…Elliot," she stammered. She reached out and accepted the flower. "Thank you."

He stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut behind him, slipping the key into his pocket. Her breath caught when she was hit with a strong, sudden whiff of cologne. God, he smelled so good. He turned toward her and she quickly wiped the smirk off her face, praying he wouldn't be able to read her thoughts.

"Let's go," he said, smiling.

She automatically started to reach for his hand, startled when he moved back slightly and offered his elbow instead. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the formal, gentlemanly gesture, but she obediently slid her arm through his. He led her back down the hallway.

They had made it past maybe three doors before he dropped his hand and slipped his fingers through hers, braiding their arms together. She chuckled, making him grin, and sidled close to his side.

Inside the elevator, there was uncomfortable, nervous silence. Finally, Elliot let out a loud breath, startling her. She felt his arm droop slightly as he looked at her. His face had regained the boyish smirk that she was so accustomed to, making her smile.

He raised his eyebrows mischievously. "I'm just waiting for some penguin butler to show up and ask if we would 'please pass the Grey Poupon'," he said, accentuating the phrase with a ridiculously awful British accent and turning his nose up in an exaggerated fashion.

She burst out laughing loudly, shaking her head. She'd suspected it would only be a matter of time before he'd have to make some wiseass comment to break the tension. Elliot was entirely too fun-loving to put on the façade of proper behavior for very long…it was the thing she loved best about him. She smiled widely, suddenly overcome by an incredible endearment for him.

The attractive, well-dressed couple drew many stares as they walked through the lobby toward the entrance. Elliot stopped just outside the doors, turning to her.

"Give me your keys," he said matter-of-factly. She looked at him in surprise. He went on in a slightly defensive voice, "I don't have a car here, and I'm not about to let my date drive us."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a giggle. "You are such a chauvinist," she remarked, bur nevertheless handed over the keys. She pointed him toward her truck.

He escorted her to the passenger side and opened the door.

"You're chariot, my lady," he said in another horribly accented voice, offering his hand.

She smirked. "Thank you," she said, climbing inside. He shut the door and came around the truck. She smiled, unnerved by how weird it felt to be on the passenger side of her own truck.

He climbed in, and she laughed when he had to squeeze himself between the seat and the steering wheel to adjust it. "Damn, you're short," he joked, as he slid the seat back.

She cut her eyes at him. "Shut up," she cracked.

Once he had adjusted everything, Elliot started the truck and backed out of the parking space. He pulled out onto the road.

Ally reached for his hand and held it between them comfortably on the seat. Her curiosity was peaked when he turned onto the expressway.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Crystal Shore," he replied, referring to a town on the other side of the island. "Kyoto's."

Her jaw dropped before she could stop it. "_Kyoto's_?" she squawked. She looked at him in total shock. "Elliot, that's the most expensive restaurant in Hawaii! Are you out of your mind?"

He smiled widely at her reaction. "Yeah, I've been told that a few times," he answered teasingly, winking at her. Glancing at her, he saw that she was looking at him uncomfortably. He squeezed her hand. "Ally, relax! Tonight, we're going to wine and dine in style….you deserve the best."

She was so touched that she couldn't reply. She simply linked her fingers tighter in his and squeezed.

The restaurant was beautiful, and dinner delicious. Elliot was a perfect gentleman in front of the crowd, but had her cracking up once they were seated and alone. She thought her face was going to get sore from how much she was smiling. She still couldn't believe how amazing he was.

He couldn't believe how amazing she was. She obviously didn't know how incredibly beautiful she looked tonight, or else she was just playing it off well. Whichever the case, he was delighted that he was lucky enough to be with her, and he hoped that he was doing her justice when people saw them together. She deserved someone so much more proper than him.

"Dessert?" the waiter inquired, once he had cleared their dinner plates.

She looked at him hopefully. He grinned. "No, thank you," he said, catching the look of surprise on her face.

"Very well, sir," the waiter said. "I'll bring the check, then."

"Thank you," he repeated. He winked at her when the man walked away. "This is just our first stop. Dessert comes later."

She looked at him, mystified. "Elliot, this has already been too much. You don't have to take me anywhere else."

He just smiled and didn't reply.

They were soon back in her truck and heading further into town. "What else have you got up your sleeve?" she asked suspiciously, grinning. "Dinner was fantastic, by the way."

"Wait and see," he shot back, continuing on.

After about twenty minutes, the beach came into view. As they got closer, Ally saw a large crowd of people gathered on the sand and could hear faint music. She looked at Elliot in surprise.

He smiled at her, pulling into a parking lot. "Come on," he urged, getting out. He came around to her side as she shut the door and grabbed her hand.

She was surprised when he suddenly dropped her hand as they were approaching the sand and stopped. Her face wrinkled in confusion that quickly turned to a smile when she saw that he was removing his shoes and socks.

"Much better," he declared, stuffing the socks into his shoes and picking them up in one hand. He went forward into the cold sand, squishing it between his toes, and grinned at her.

Grinning in reply, Ally stooped and removed her heels. Holding them in her hand as well, she took his outstretched hand and let him pull her into the sand.

They walked toward the crowd, the music getting louder with each step. It had a slight Moroccan beat to it. Expertly weaving around the other people, Elliot gripped her hand securely and made his way forward.

She smiled in amazement at the band before them on a small stage. The music featured kettle drums and hula dancers in traditional Hawaiian custom. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, with people dancing all around and the musicians getting into their beat.

He held out his hand, smiling. "Care to take a spin?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Sure," she said, unable to stop a giggle.

She gasped when he twirled her expertly to him, nearly stumbling. With lightning quick precision, he pressed her body to his, waggling his eyebrows mischievously. She threw her head back and laughed as she let herself get swept up into the music.

About an hour and a half later, they broke away from the crowd and walked along the boardwalk, still barefoot. Elliot stopped in front of a Ben and Jerry's ice cream stand. "Still want dessert?"

She chuckled. "Why not?"

A few minutes later, they were along the breakers on the dark, empty beach with their ice-cream. He had chocolate fudge brownie on a sugar cone, and she had a cup of mint chocolate chip with sprinkles.

The moon shone bright over the ocean, giving off a beautiful yellow glow on the water. Ally sighed happily. "Elliot, this is beautiful."

He looked at her and smiled. "So are you."

She blushed. "No, really," she insisted. "This has been the most incredible night I think I've ever had." She stopped and looked into his face, bringing one hand off of her cup to stroke his cheek. "Thank you. You are so wonderful."

His heart almost burst out of his chest at her words, but he tried to downplay his reaction. He flinched slightly, laughing. "Your hand's cold," he said, when she looked at him in alarm. He caught it as she was removing it and kissed her fingers.

Ally leaned forward and kissed his lips. He tasted like chocolate and desire.

When they drew back, he chuckled. He had left a smear of chocolate on the corner of her mouth. "You've got a little…" he said, gesturing.

Her eyes were shining. "Oh," she said, smiling sheepishly. She reached up to wipe it off, but he stopped her. He leaned down again, his voice husky. It sent chills up her spine.

"I've got it," he murmured, kissing her again. His tongue trailed along her lips, removing the stain, and he felt her shiver. He grinned against her mouth and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to spill his ice-cream on her.

She giggled, pushing away. "Stop," she scolded. "We're going get ice-cream all over one or both of us."

He chuckled, backing away. "Let me have a bite," he said, leaning over her.

She spooned a bit of her ice-cream and held it out to him, watching him take it into his mouth. Her heart quickened at the images it brought into her mind, and she blushed.

"Mmm," he drawled, in the sultry, sexy voice that made her weak. "That's not bad." He grinned, seeing the effect it had on her. "You want a bite?" He waved his cone in front of her playfully.

She giggled. "No, thanks," she said.

He licked up the last bit and began crunching the cone as she nibbled another bite of hers.

Once they had finished, they walked hand-in-hand lazily down the beach toward the boardwalk again. Ally never wanted the night to end.

Before they knew it, he was pulling back into the hotel. It seemed like it had only been a little while, but in reality it was past midnight. He shut off the car, but neither made a move to get out.

Reaching his arm out, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side. She nestled comfortably against his side. "Elliot, thank you for tonight," she murmured. "It was incredible."

He smiled. "You're welcome." He began playing with her hair with one hand, running it through the bun and into her scalp.

She sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. "Can we stay here all night?" she murmured sleepily, feeling so incredibly warm and safe that it was ridiculous.

"Ally."

The unexpected force of his voice made her crane her head up to gaze at him. He was looking at her intently, and the look in his eyes sent a sudden fire into her belly.

Struggling to control his desire, he gripped her waist tightly with his hand. He looked down at her and was amazed by how beautiful she looked at that moment.

"Stay with me tonight," he said with conviction.

She shifted, raising herself up to be level with him again. He was looking at her longingly, his blue eyes bright with excitement. She looked at him in hesitation.

"Stay," he repeated, stroking her face.

Her eyes lit up, but she didn't respond. Instead, she leaned forward and captured his mouth with hers, kissing him eagerly. Elliot felt his heart swell with delight as he kissed her back.

She didn't have to speak. Her reaction was enough to confirm her answer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

**Author's Note: **Sorry kids…..had to change the rating. I'm not a smut slut, but I do graze the waters a little. So if you're not old enough to know what "smut" is….or you just don't like it, skip the first few sections. There will be a note letting you know when it is safe to come back in.

Elliot was taken by surprise when Ally suddenly pushed him, making him stumble back against the doors of the elevator they were in. She planted her hands on his chest and pressed him into the metal, kissing him deeply.

His breathing became erratic and harsh, his lungs begging for air while at the same time his body was begging for release. One hand came up to her breasts and slipped inside the v-shaped slit while she had his mouth occupied.

One hand cupped her silky breast while the other wrapped around her waist. She gasped out loud when she felt his finger rubbing over her nipple, teasing it into hardness, and whimpered into his mouth.

The car stopped moving and the doors opened, causing Ally to suddenly pitch forward as Elliot flew backward from being up against them. She gasped and quickly grabbed his arms. He managed to stop his momentum in time to avoid falling. He burst out laughing and she did too. Once they started, neither of them could stop.

Ally grabbed him and began devouring his mouth again, holding onto his waist as he stumbled backwards, propelling them down the hall. They were giggling like a couple of drunks.

He slammed up against the door to his room and she pressed him up against it, her hands swiftly starting to unbuckle his belt. He fumbled for his key, pushing his tongue further into her mouth.

A frustrated growl rumbled in his throat. He gripped her arms, pushing her gently back as he sucked in gulps of air. Her face was flushed and his lips were glistening. He grinned, his eyes sparkling.

"Key," he gasped out, fumbling into his pocket again. "Let me get the key."

Elliot jerked the key quickly into the slot and yanked, busting the door open loudly. In one swift move, he pulled her inside and shut it after them.

Jesse's lips curled in disgust as he watched from his half-opened door two rooms away.

**SMUT SCENE IS NOW STARTING…IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ, CONTINUE DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE THE ENDING NOTE**

She grabbed onto his waist when the door shut, swinging him back to face her, and hastily clawed at the belt again. She growled in eager anticipation as she tossed it to the ground and started unbuttoning his pants.

Elliot chuckled, grabbing her hand. He pulled her into the bedroom and pushed her gently to sit on the bed. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his wallet and thumbed through it. Slipping his hand into a small fold, he pulled out the small cellophane package and tossed the wallet on the nightstand.

Ally moaned impatiently. He grinned, quickly ripping open the small package.

Once it was in place, he came up to the bed and started to straddle her legs, leaning down with a grin to kiss her. He was startled when she scooted out of his reach and sat up, stopping him with her hands on his chest.

She saw the confusion on his face as she sat upright. Ally quickly scooted back to the edge of the bed, with her knees between his legs, and reached up to cradle his face. She began stroking over his cheeks, grazing over his lips and jaw line. His eyes closed serenely as he enjoyed the sensation.

"Please," she said softly, gazing up into his eyes. "You were so wonderful to me tonight, Elliot." Her eyes seemed to glaze over. Her voice dropped to a throaty whisper. "Let me treat you now."

A grin appeared on his face as he dropped his arms, his eyes twinkling. She returned the grin, making his heart start to pump in anticipation. He backed away slowly.

"Alright," he said, in a teasing voice. "Your treat."

She smiled, getting up and coming to him. Stretching up on her toes, she grazed his lips for a minute, letting him taste her briefly. He felt her grab both of his hands in hers and pull him toward the bed.

She climbed up on top and crawled toward the other end of the massive comforter, reaching her hand out to him. He obediently placed his hand in hers and climbed after her.

"Lie down," she said softly, crawling around until she was on the other side of him.

Elliot dropped onto his back. Ally scooted forward and straddled his knees, slowly making her way up to sit on his thighs. She made sure not to press her weight down so as not to hurt him.

"Okay?" she checked, just to be sure.

He nodded, raising his eyebrows in amusement. Ally smiled wickedly, eagerly preparing to wipe that smirk off his face.

Almost with the grace of a dancer, she slowly stretched her body forward to drape across him. Her hands came down to rest below his belly button and then began trailing downward.

His breath hitched when he felt her nails lightly scraping across his pelvis. Intense pleasure rippled through him, causing a low moan to build involuntarily deep in his throat. She heard it and grinned, not looking up from her task.

She felt him begin to squirm with the sensations and continued to draw out the pleasure. She began slowly rubbing across his scrotum, gently digging her fingers in and kneading the tender flesh in between each of his legs.

Elliot moaned suddenly, his body arching upward. He growled out loud in ecstasy, totally blindsided by the rush he was currently feeling. It was a delicious new sensation that he had never experienced before.

His moans of pleasure could no longer be held in. Ally kept it up until she felt his hips start to quiver and then continued toward her destination.

"Ally," he ground out through clenched teeth, feeling her run her fingers down the length of his manhood. He moaned again, unable to get any other words out.

She grinned wickedly at his reaction. She trailed down to the very tip and he arched up again.

"Patience," she purred. "Good things come to those who wait."

His teeth clenched as she rose up delicately, pressing her hands into his chest. Her head came up to stare right into his eyes as she hovered over him, unmoving. He was rigid with anticipation, his eyes gleaming.

Ally remained still, teasing him. He growled angrily, making her laugh. She leaned her head down to inch next to his face.

"How am I doing so far?" she panted with a grin, her own body quivering with anticipation.

He rose up desperately, trying to enter her, but she kept him pressed against the bed. The look of despair in his eyes made her laugh again.

He had never been at a woman's mercy this way, and it was making him crazy. His body was quivering now. He was going to break into a million pieces if she kept this up.

"You deserve the best," she whispered, the tone of her voice sending the hair on his arms toward the ceiling. "Let me treat you right, Elliot."

Slowly dropping her head, she kissed him deeply at the same time that she lowered herself.

He cried out loudly with the unexpected explosion of pleasure. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him shaking hard with the sensations, and concentrated on giving herself to him.

** SMUT SCENE IS NOW FINISHED…IT'S SAFE TO UNCOVER YOUR EYES AND CONTINUE **

Ally rolled to the side and he collapsed against the pillows, gasping for air. She panted, propping herself up on one elbow, and leaned toward him with a satisfied smile.

His eyes were closed as he remained limp against the mattress. His entire body felt like jelly.

She stroked a finger lazily over his cheek. After a minute, he turned his head toward her. He was so spent that he couldn't even lift it. She leaned down and he kissed her passionately.

"That was…" he panted, between kisses. He could hardly draw enough air to get the words out. "That was incredible."

She smiled. "Glad to hear it," she murmured, stroking his cheek again. She looked into his eyes, watching him gaze at her. "You deserve so much more, Elliot….I hope this did a little justice."

He smiled lazily, plopping his head back against the pillows again, and reached for her. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her forward to rest against his chest, and he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, Ally," he whispered.

She smiled, rising up again. "Don't thank me yet," she said, sliding away from him. "The treat isn't over."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't know if he could take any more at the moment.

She saw the look in his eyes and grinned softly. "You'll like it, I promise," she assured. She got up on her knees beside him. "Roll over."

He could hardly move. Somehow, he was able to maneuver himself a little ways and rolled onto his belly. He felt Ally move from beside him.

He felt her lift up his left foot and begin massaging it in her hand. A low groan of pleasure rumbled in his throat, and he eagerly stretched out his legs.

She chuckled. "You know, Prince does the same thing when I scratch his back," she teased.

"I think I understand why now," he mumbled into the pillow, moaning in pleasure again. The simple touch was euphoric to his tired muscles.

She tickled his toes lightly, grinning when he jerked away, and gently laid his foot back against the bed. Picking up his right foot, she gave it the same attention.

After a few minutes, she traveled up his leg a little ways and began massaging his calves. A new pleasant sensation shot through him and the process was repeated.

Ally slowly worked her way up his body, tenderly rubbing and kneading every square inch and working out every knot she felt. He had never been massaged in some areas before, and the pleasure it made him feel was a welcome treat. He continued moaning and whimpering occasionally in approval and gratitude.

After about a half-hour, she had made her way to his back. She paid special attention to those muscles, pressing her fingers harder into the areas she knew were always tense. His loud moan told her it was working.

She went up to his shoulders and neck, gently rolling and popping the joints. Her hands were gentle and loving as she worked.

Her hands caressed his face and began rubbing his temples, reaching up under him gently to stroke over his eyebrows.

When she took her hands away, she heard soft, shallow breathing. Peeking down at him, she saw that he was fast asleep.

Ally giggled. Her goal **had** been to relax him….obviously she had succeeded. Crawling under the covers, she cuddled up next to him and fell asleep too.

A soft tickling on her cheek made her swat incoherently in her sleep and mumble. Elliot grinned and leaned in again, lightly stroking her cheek once more.

Her eyes opened and stared sleepily up into his face. He smiled lazily, propping himself on one elbow and gazing down at her.

"Hi," he said.

She stretched, smiling. "Hi," she murmured, snuggling against him. She blinked sleepily in the stream of light filtering through the curtains. "What time is it?"

Elliot rolled over to glance at the clock. "Almost 10:15," he replied.

Ally shot up suddenly, almost slamming her head into the headboard. "What?" she cried, panicked. "Elliot!" She began struggling out from under the covers. "I'm late for work!"

He chuckled and grabbed her arm. "Hey, relax," he said. "I called your work at 9:30….I told April you were sick."

She relaxed at his words, but then quickly flushed. Out of all the people in the library, he had to get April….Ally knew that there would be a million excited messages waiting on her answering machine when she went home.

He drew her close once she relaxed against him again and stroked her hair. She pressed her face into his chest and inhaled his scent. It was a blend of sweat, soap, and a hint of last night's cologne- purely masculine and uniquely his. She sighed blissfully.

Elliot shifted slightly and leaned down, kissing her softly. His lips trailed over her face and over her mouth, gentle and sweet.

"I want you, Ally," he whispered into her mouth. He shifted himself again so that he could gain access to her. "Please let me."

She stretched her body over toward him, continuing to kiss him, and nodded.

He was reaching for the nightstand when she suddenly gasped loudly. The sound made him whip back around in alarm.

"What?" he asked, startled when she jerked quickly away from him. "What's the matter?"

Her face puckered as she slid away from him and he saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh my God," she moaned. A sob escaped as she hurriedly slid off of the bed. "Oh my God!" She ran toward the bathroom, and he heard the door shut quickly.

Elliot slid up to the headboard, kicking at the massive mound of blankets pinning him. He was shocked, stunned, and mortified. What the hell had just happened? Had he hurt her last night?

"Ally?" he called in confusion, sliding his feet to the floor. He hurried around the bed. "What-?"

As he came around to the other side, he saw blood on the sheets where she had been laying. He flushed, knowing then exactly what the problem was.

Ally stumbled inside the bathroom and closed the door, collapsing on the floor against the tub. She sobbed so hard that she shook.

After listening to her sobbing for a minute, Elliot hovered close to the door and knocked. "Ally?" he said softly. More sobs was his only reply.

Taking a deep breath, he quietly opened the door. The sight of her crumbled against the bathtub broke his heart.

"Ally," he said.

"Don't," she sobbed, her arms tightly wrapped around her body. She could barely get the words out. "Don't look at me, Elliot. Please get out."

He inched closer to her. "Ally," he said carefully, fervently praying that he wouldn't trip over his tongue for once in his life. "Honey…" He trailed off awkwardly, making her sob again.

Wincing, he came closer, almost at her side. "I lived with four women, Ally," he said softly. "Three of who have gone through or are going through puberty. Trust me, I've seen it before."

He wryly thought back to when Kathleen had her first period at 14. Kathy and the other three had gone to the mall, and it was just the two of them at the house when it happened. They had been at the dining room table eating takeout, and Kat had been so mortified that she had locked herself in the bathroom until the others came home.

If there was one thing he was good at, it was being in awkward situations. Having two teenaged daughters at one time pretty much guaranteed that there was never a shortage of them. He had learned quite fast that no man was ever equipped with a battle plan for female hormones.

He tried to pull her into a hug, but she wrenched away. Wisely, he backed off and stood up.

"Do you want me to…..get you something?" he finally asked awkwardly. "I can call Theresa or Vanessa."

Ally managed to shake her head no through her sobs. She didn't seem to be calming down.

"Sweetheart, please don't be embarrassed," he said, aware that he was nearly pleading with her now. "I promise this isn't a big deal."

His words sliced through her already punctured heart. She raised a hand and wiped shakily at her face, more tears falling almost as soon as she brushed them away.

She had to tell him. She had no choice anymore.

The look on his face just made it worse. He looked so upset, and she knew he was just waiting to scoop her into his arms and tell her it was alright.

"No….Elliot," she managed to say, sniffling. A sob came out. "It's….it's not that."

He was at her side immediately, thankful that she was speaking to him at least, but didn't try to touch her. "Did I hurt you last night, Ally?" He sounded scared at the thought.

Her eyes slammed closed at the worry in his voice. _God, give me strength._ She started to sob again, unable to help it. "No," she said. "No, Elliot…it's nothing you did. God, it's not you at all."

Reaching out then, he rubbed her arm tenderly. His voice was soothing. "Then what is it?"

Swallowing hard, she raised her head to look at him and immediately regretted it when she saw the tenderness in his beautiful eyes. She broke down into sobs again, shaking her head.

Gasping in a breath, she finally forced herself to speak. She couldn't look him in the eye.

"Elliot," she said in a painful voice. She gasped in another breath as her heart slowly broke. "I have AIDS."

The entire world stopped at that moment. Tears began flowing again as she watched his face change from shocked to hurt to scared all in a span of about four seconds.

Elliot was frozen. He was dreaming. Any second now, he was going to wake up and find her snuggled next to him.

She realized it had suddenly hit him when she saw his hands start to shake. His eyes widened and he began breathing rapidly, shaking his head.

"No," he said, letting out a panicked chuckle. "That's not funny, Ally." His face turned angry, his voice frightened. "That's not funny."

She lowered her head in shame, making his throat close in panic. This couldn't be happening…this couldn't be happening.

Her heart broke when she saw the tears in his eyes. He looked at her in disbelief and shock, his mouth opening and closing a few times with no sound coming out.

Ally looked at him desperately, but still he didn't speak. The silence became unbearable and she couldn't take it.

"Say something," she whispered pleadingly. "Please say something."

He swallowed hard, once again opening and closing his mouth. He was becoming blinded by the tears swimming in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Clenching his teeth, he felt a familiar emotion welling up in his chest- anger.

Strangely enough, it was comforting. It had been such a constant presence in his life after the divorce that he had grown to accept, and sometimes even anticipate, the feeling. He tended to indulge in it when he was feeling helpless, as it helped him gain back some sense of dignity rather than if he were to just let himself wallow.

She watched the look in his eyes change to resemble the one he'd had when she had confronted him about his wedding ring. It had startled her then, and it startled her now, but it also made her hang her head. He had every right to be angry at her.

His chest began quivering, and he wasn't sure it was from anger or the tears that wanted so badly to break free. His shaking hands curled up into tight fists at his sides, making his knuckles turn white. He kept them balled at his sides as he inhaled and exhaled loudly, trying to control himself.

Ally looked at him in shame, but kept silent. His once vibrant blue eyes were now glaring at her, piercing her heart harder than an iron stake.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked evenly at last, his voice tight.

She couldn't speak for as much as she wanted to. Her body heaved with guilt-ridden sobs, her eyes sliding closed.

"What was this, Ally?" he burst out when she didn't speak. His voice shook with anger and tears. "Some….some kind of… **fling **for you to tell your friends about?" His voice was biting and stung like he had slapped her. Her continuing silence fueled his anger even more, and his voice rose until he was shouting at her. "Or was it just a surprise for me to find out when I got home?"

Her arms wrapped around her middle as she shook, crying so hard now that she could hardly draw a breath.

His chin began to tremble then. He started to become blinded by the tears that he knew where on the brink of being released. Glaring at her tearfully, he got to his feet and strode wordlessly out of the bathroom. After a minute, she heard the front door slam shut.

She burst into loud sobs the moment she heard silence, slumping to the floor of the bathroom.

Tears dripped down his face as he strode down the hallway. Not wanting to risk being seen by anyone, he passed the elevator and headed for the stairs.

He burst out of the stairwell into the night air, sobs escaping into the vast open air. He started running blindly, not knowing or caring where he was going.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.**

After a few minutes of sprinting, he began to breathe hard. His lungs burned, but it only increased his drive. He kept going, down the road toward nowhere, his sneakers slapping the asphalt.

The beach came into view again, but not the same area he had been to before. There were a few houses scattered along it as well as a rundown-looking dock jutting into the water. He ran toward it desperately, as if it would somehow save him.

No one was around, for which he was thankful. He ran awkwardly, his feet heavy in the sand, and clattered onto the dock.

He ran to the end and finally stopped. His chest heaved with a searing burn, and he was forced to lean over, gasping for breath. After a few minutes, his heart began to finally slow. Panting, he plopped down on the wood like a sack of cement.

Curling his legs underneath him, Elliot clutched his knees tightly with his fingertips and began to sob hard.

Ally bit her lip as she drove slowly through the streets, trying to avoid pedestrians and bikers while at the same time scanning for a sign of Elliot.

The chill of the blasting air-conditioner seeped through the t-shirt she had grabbed from his dresser, making her realize that she had failed to put on a bra in her haste. Shivering, she turned it down a notch and rolled down the window. Warm air filtered in as she continued sweeping the road with her eyes.

It had taken her about ten minutes to calm down after he had left. Not knowing what to do and desperate to talk to him, she had grabbed some clothes from his drawer and took off after him.

The shirt she had grabbed was light brown and said "American Eagle" across the chest, and the gym shorts were about five sizes too big, but she hadn't noticed or cared. All she did was tie a hasty knot in the waist of the shorts to keep them up as she shut the door and quickly locked it.

"Going to cut your losses and run?"

She started at the male voice behind her and whipped around in surprise. A man was walking toward her from an open door two rooms away, his eyes narrowed.

She looked at him suspiciously, about to tell him to go away, but something made her stop and look closer. He looked familiar somehow. She had seen him somewhere before; she just couldn't quite place when.

After a minute, it suddenly hit her- he was the guy that had been with Elliot the day they had bumped into each other.

Jesse waited for it to dawn on her who he was. When he saw her face flood with recognition, he knew she had figured it out. He folded his arms and leaned against Elliot's door.

Ally suddenly remembered that he had spoken to her. "What did you say?"

He looked at her stonily, one eyebrow arched. His brown eyes were cold as he glared at her. "I warned him," he said softly. "I told Elliot not to get into it with you." He shook his head slightly, looking at her clothes in disgust. "He was asking for trouble from the moment he met you."

"Excuse me?" she said hotly, anger creeping into her voice. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step toward him. "This is none of your damn business, buddy. Who do you think you are?"

There was a tense pause as they both stared at each other in challenge. He had to give her points for standing her ground; she was standing toe-to-toe with him, not giving an inch.

"Jesse," he said finally, backing down just a hair. "My name is Jesse." He watched her eyes soften a fraction, though it could have just been his imagination. "And you're right- what you do isn't my business."

He stepped away from the door then and stood in front of her while making sure his body language showed her he wasn't a threat. It worked, because she didn't move away.

"But Elliot **is** my business," he continued sharply. "What you're doing is seriously fucked-up, lady." His voice had turned hard and venomous. "You might have been able to fool him, but I could see it the minute I saw you….you're nothing but a manipulator."

She looked at him coldly when he finished speaking, and for a brief moment he thought she might slap him. He had seen a look like that on too many women's faces before in his lifetime. He saw her hands twitch at her sides, but she didn't move.

Swallowing hard, Jesse continued to glare at her. He poked a finger at her. "I'm warning you," he said angrily. "Stay away from him, Ally. I don't care who the hell you are…..no one messes with my best friend."

She startled when he said her name, having not told it to him. He saw it and knew her thoughts.

"He's crazy about you." His voice had softened, and she saw sincerity in his eyes. "Do you realize that? Do you…do you even have a **clue **just how much he likes you? He talks about you like you're a fucking goddess."

Tears were now trailing down her cheeks. She looked at him with silent despair in her eyes. Her chin trembled, but she didn't back down.

Jesse shook his head and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, backing up. "I'm sorry to act like an asshole." He looked straight into her eyes and she saw the deep concern there. It surprised her. "Elliot is the best person I know. I can't just sit idly by and watch while you rip his heart out."

Her eyes slid closed slowly. He fell silent.

Taking a shaky breath, she finally spoke. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I don't want to hurt him, Jesse." She began to sob, looking at him in desperation. Her voice was hardly audible. "God, I'd rather have my own heart ripped out than hurt his. I care about him so much….please, you have to know that." She sobbed again. "He's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me."

Jesse watched this woman fall apart in front of him and suddenly was hit with the realization that she was telling the truth. He could see it in her eyes….it shocked him, what he saw in her eyes. She loved Elliot.

She shook her head, her shoulders quivering as she struggled to keep herself from slumping against the wall. "I don't know what to do," she sobbed. "I was scared… I didn't tell him and I don't…" He struggled to make sense of her ramblings. "I don't even know where he is."

His eyes narrowed in sympathy this time. Jesse took a step closer to the woman who meant so much to his best friend and gently cupped her chin. She jumped in surprise, her eyes shooting open wide, as he directed her face up towards him.

Once he was sure he had her complete focus, he let go. "Try the pier," he said softly, his gaze unwavering.

Ally sniffled, looking at him in surprise. The concern and sincerity on his face spoke volumes, and she managed a shaky smile.

He didn't speak again, simply turning back toward his room.

She quickly stepped after him. "Hey," she said desperately.

Pausing, he turned back toward her.

"You're a pretty good man yourself, Jesse," she said softly, looking at him intently. She saw surprise cross his face.

He blinked, an inkling of a grin twitching the corner of his mouth. "Just go after him," he said gruffly.

She smiled warmly, and he knew she saw right through him. His eyes twinkled as he turned away again and went back to his room.

Inhaling deeply, Ally turned and began to run for the elevator.

She finally cleared the crowded boardwalk and was able to drive faster. The road turned and curved toward the less populated areas. When the beach came into view, she slowed and pulled off the road.

Hopping out, she crossed the street and stepped into the sand. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she scanned the empty beach up and down. No one was outside. Looking toward the pier, her heart jumped when she saw the lone figure sitting at the end.

Tears filled her eyes again, and she began walking slowly towards it.

Olivia had to admit a small pang of hurt when she heard nothing from Elliot the night before. True, she had told him not to worry about calling her while he was on vacation, but part of her hoped that he cared enough to do it anyway.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she scoffed in disgust. _How pathetic am I? _Her partner had taken a week away from work, and she was upset that he hadn't called her? Would _she_ want to take the time to call New York if she was in paradise?

She shook her head and pulled open the door to the precinct. She really needed to get a grip. Elliot was human…it wasn't fair of her to expect him to think of her all of the time when he deserved to be enjoying himself.

But on the heels of that came another thought, and she grinned as she entered the bullpen. _I can forgive not hearing from him…but if he doesn't bring me a souvenir I will kick his ass._

"Is this a private party, or can I join you?"

Elliot didn't respond to the soft voice just behind him. He didn't look her way at all.

Ally bit her lip and abandoned the teasing, stepping a little closer to his back. "Elliot," she said painfully. She took a deep breath and didn't move again, knowing she deserved to be ignored.

He continued staring out at the water, and she continued staring at his back. With a soft sigh, she stepped to the side and ventured closer. She kept her eyes glued to the side of his face as she lowered herself down to sit next to him, hoping for some kind of interaction.

She didn't miss it when his jaw hardened. It was a slight move, barely noticeable, but since she was staring intently at his face there was no way she wouldn't see it. She held her breath, waiting for him to speak.

He remained still and silent. After a minute that took an eternity for Ally, he scooted away from her.

The move sent knives into her heart. She fought back her sob, forcing herself to take the pain. He had devoted himself to her all this time. Now he was thinking of himself, and had the right to be cold.

He turned his head away from her and sighed shakily, willing himself not to fall apart again. He had made the mistake of letting her see his vulnerability before. No way was she getting the chance again. He'd die first.

"Elliot," she whispered desperately. She made no move to touch him or get close. She simply sat meekly. "I'm so sorry." The words sounded lame even to her ears, and she bit her lip. She fell silent.

He didn't look at her at all. She sat there for what seemed like forever. She tried to keep the tears back, but once they began she couldn't stop them.

He wanted to walk away from her. Just leave her sitting there. She had screwed him over on so many levels that it hurt just thinking about it. If he had any pride at all, he should get up right now. But his ego wouldn't allow it. He wanted her to know. He wanted her to know just how much he was hurting because of her, and he wanted her to feel the same pain he did.

Clenching his jaw, he slowly turned his body slightly. While not openly inviting her, he at least wanted her to look at him. He owed it to himself.

He saw her start at his move, obviously not expecting him to do it. To her credit, she didn't try to move close to him. She recognized that he wasn't doing this for her.

She had to force herself not to flinch. Those eyes, the ones that had looked at her with caring and love all this time, were so angry that they seemed to burn holes through her.

He blinked, not giving her an inch. When he spoke, his voice was raw with anger and emotion and made her tear up again. There was so much he wanted to say, to yell, and to throw at her. But all he could manage was one word.

"Why?"

Ally closed her eyes.

"No!" he barked suddenly, making her jump. "God damn it…you look at me, Allison."

She looked at him wide-eyed. His chest started to heave again.

"You don't get to hide anymore," he seethed. He gasped between words, like he was having trouble filling his lungs with air. His anger spilled out everywhere, unable to be held in anymore. "How could you? How could you **do** this to me?"

His fists were clenched. "Do you realize what you've done?" His anger dissipated almost as soon as it flared. Now his voice sounded tired as he dropped his fists helplessly.

"Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me, Ally?

Tears trailed her face. "Yes," she whispered. "Elliot, I do. I don't blame you for hating me for what I did." She shook her head. "How could I tell you? Can you honestly tell me that you would have stuck around if I had told you when we met?"

"How could you have sex with me and not tell me?" he shot back, his anger flaring again. He blinked his tears back again, beginning to yell. "Jesus Christ, Ally! I could lose everything because of you! Did you ever stop to think about that?"

She had started sobbing again and clamped a fist to her mouth in a vain attempt to keep them quiet. Glaring at her, he turned away from her and didn't speak again.

After about ten minutes, she heard him say softly, "You know what kills me?"

She saw that he was now crying as well. Tears were running silently down his cheeks. Unable to speak, she looked at him desperately.

He scoffed, a sound full of pain and despair. "I really thought we had something." He shook his head, his eyes glassy. "I really thought that, after all this time, I had finally found a little bit of happiness again."

Ally sobbed out loud at his words. "We do have something," she pleaded. Unable to sit still any longer, she got up on her knees and moved over to him. He flinched at her hands on his shoulders, but she gripped him tightly in desperation. "Elliot, I know you can't forgive me for not telling you. But please….please don't forget about what we had."

He could feel her shaking as she leaned against his back. "You make me so happy," she sobbed. "Never in my life have I felt as strongly about a person as I do about you. I wasn't faking that. I could never fake that." She kissed the back of his neck, soaking it with her tears.

She felt him begin to shake as well. Elliot bowed his head to swipe at the tears. "I thought it was too good to be true," he said softly. "I couldn't understand what would make someone as wonderful as you be interested in me."

Swallowing hard, he slowly turned around to face her. "Ally, I have to tell you." He looked at her intently. "I let you break my heart. If you lie to me right now, I don't think I'll be able to take it." She looked at him in alarm. He tilted his head, looking at her intensely. "Why did you keep this from me?"

She swallowed hard, blinking away tears. "I realized," she said shakily. "I realized that I was falling in love with you. At first, I did it to protect myself." She sobbed softly, reaching for his hand. Her voice dropped to an agonized whisper. "Then suddenly I realized….I wanted to protect you."

He looked at her with a twisted face and looked down at his hand gripped in hers. His eyes were shining with tears when he looked back up at her. He didn't speak.

Instead, he pulled her forward and kissed her.

Ally threw her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with a deepness that she never had before. She didn't see the tears falling down his face.

Elliot had to struggle not to sob into her mouth. He immersed himself into her kiss for another minute before forcing himself to push away. She gasped in surprise and unhappiness at his action, gripping his hand to pull him close again.

She was startled when he forcefully jerked his hand away. His eyes were wet and pained as he looked at her.

He swallowed hard. "We can't," he whispered brokenly. He watched her face crumble and he sobbed involuntarily. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward and cupped her cheek in his hand. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. "Ally, you're amazing. You're easily the most amazing woman I've ever known. But…" He shook his head. "I just can't."

Her chin trembled as she opened her eyes, but she didn't move away.

"I can't hate you, Ally," he continued to whisper in broken voice. "And I don't want you to hate me. We both deserve better. That's why we have to do this now." His eyes slid closed painfully. "Our lives are too important to risk."

She started sobbing quietly, unable to help it. This was goodbye. She could feel it. Nothing she could do would make things go back to what they had been. At that instant, she wished that she could freeze time forever.

Somehow, she was able to find enough strength to speak. "I…." she faltered, trying to control her tears. She squeezed his hand hard and felt him squeeze back. "I could never hate you, Elliot Stabler." Her other hand came up to gently trail over his hairline as she gazed wistfully into his face. "Never in my life could I have asked for a better man than you." She leaned up and kissed his temple, tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry for all that I took from you."

He reached out to grasp her chin, startling her, and stared directly into her eyes. "You didn't take anything from me, Allison Denny," he said. He smiled tearfully. "You gave. You gave me back my happiness. You showed me what it was to smile again."

On impulse, she pressed her lips hard against his, somehow sensing that this was her last moment. He didn't resist. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and allowed himself one last bittersweet taste of their innocence.

She broke away finally, her cheeks wet with tears. He smiled sadly, and it took a great effort for her to do the same. He stood up slowly and offered his hand.

She allowed him to help her to her feet. Once they stood face-to-face, he kissed her lightly. "You'll always be in my heart, Ally," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Don't ever forget that."

Unable to speak from the emotions in her chest, she nodded silently. Tears fell unchecked down her face. He wiped at one with his thumb, trailing down to stroke her collarbone. Leaning forward, he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, desperate to hold her for one more brief moment.

She could feel him losing the battle as well. He was shaking with sobs, but she knew he wouldn't let her see them. After another minute, he forced himself to pull away. His eyes were bright, but he forced a smile. "Give Prince a kiss for me."

She managed a shaky smile as he turned away slowly. Only when he was walking away did she let herself fall apart.

Elliot started sobbing as soon as he turned his back to her. He could barely see where he was going.

He had loved Kathy. Hell, he had been devoted to Kathy. She had done nothing short of hanging the moon in his eyes, and he had tried everything he could to show her how he felt. But to her, he had come up short. The day she left was the first time he had looked into her eyes and not seen the girl he loved more than life itself looking back.

Ally was something wonderful that had crossed his path at a time when he was straining to get some control of his life back. For two years he had built walls to protect his heart, and she had single-handedly knocked them down. He had risked blind faith and allowed her to hold his heart in the palm of her hand. His naivety had laid the ground work for another woman to rip him apart.

A sudden, painful realization made his heart ache and his cheeks flush in shame. Maybe love didn't exist at all. Perhaps he had spent his entire life fighting to hold onto something that he had never actually had in the first place.

He entered the elevator quickly and stabbed the button for his floor. Once it began to move, he leaned against the wall of the car and scrubbed his face with both hands. All of the sudden, he was extremely tired.

Sighing heavily, he walked out when the doors opened and dug in his pocket for the key to his room.

"Elliot."

He froze at the sound of Jesse's voice behind him. All too fresh in his mind was the memory of their last encounter. He considered ignoring him. He didn't have the strength for a confrontation, and the last thing he wanted to do was let his friend see him fall apart.

Jesse watched his friend freeze with his hand on the doorknob. After a minute, during which he seemed to be weighing his options for escape, Elliot slowly turned around.

It was obvious he had been crying, and the look on his face was just daring Jesse to comment.

They stood facing each other silently, the tension so thick between them that it seemed to blanket the air.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Jesse finally said softly.

Elliot started in surprise at the comment, but his face quickly became defensive. "You going to say 'I told you so'?" he snarled. "Do it. I don't give a fuck."

The other man blinked, looking at him intently. "No," he said. "Just….that I'm sorry."

Elliot swallowed hard and took a deep breath, hanging his head with a sigh. "I should be the one apologizing," he said quietly. Raising his head, he looked his friend straight in the face. "You were right, Jesse. I should have listened to you." He sighed glumly, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot."

Jesse smiled softly. "Hey," he chided gently. "Don't say that about my best friend." He watched for a small semblance of a smile, pleased when he saw one, and quickly turned serious again. "Believe me; I don't get any satisfaction out of it. I really do wish it could have turned out differently."

Elliot scoffed softly. "Yeah….me, too."

Biting his lip awkwardly, Jesse shifted uneasily. "Listen…" he said uncomfortably. "If you want….to talk or something….you know…"

Elliot looked equally uncomfortable. "Thanks," he said abruptly. "But that's ok." He took another breath. "I actually just think I'll head home a little early." He opened his door and turned back. "I'll give you the money for the extra day….I just really want to go home now."

Jesse waved him off immediately. "No, don't worry about it," he said. "Do whatever you need, Elliot." He smiled hesitantly. "It's a shame we couldn't hang out more."

Guilt flooded him again. "I'm so sorry, Jesse," he said. "Listen, how about if I get you a plane ticket to New York and we can make up for this?"

Jesse smiled. "I wasn't ragging you," he said. "But that does sound good. Whenever you're free again, give me a call."

"Definitely," Elliot said immediately. He held his hand out to his friend. Jesse grasped it tightly. The contact meant more than words to both men.

Letting go, he said, "I'll see you around, Jess."

"Sure," Jesse agreed. "Have a safe trip, Elliot." He turned to go back to his room.

Going inside, Elliot leaned against the door and sighed wearily, scrubbing his face again. He trudged back toward the bedroom.

Pulling his bag out from under the bed, he went over to the drawer and began taking out his clothes. Glancing to his left, he saw the lavender dress on the floor next to the closet.

Anger and hurt filled him again, making him almost growl. Clenching his teeth furiously, he quickly emptied the dressers and headed to collect his things from the bathroom.

As he was coming out with his shaving kit, he suddenly heard a light beeping noise. Pausing, he listened again and realized it was coming from his cell phone, lying on the bedside table.

Dumping the items into the bag, he crossed over and picked up the small phone. The voice mail message was flashing. Punching in the code, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hey Elliot." It was Olivia. "Right now I'll bet you're lying on your ass in the sand, getting sunburned again…..did I mention that I hate you?"

He chuckled, darting under the bed to pick up his socks from yesterday.

"Anyway…I was just calling to make sure you knew I was kidding the other day. We all miss you and can't wait for you to come home. Enjoy the last of your vacation…you've got so much paperwork waiting for you that you're going to be writing in your sleep!"

He could hear the merriment in her voice. "Have a safe trip, partner, and I'll see you when you get home."

The soft _click_ barely registered. Elliot was suddenly overcome with emotion again, but this time there was no pain behind it. An idea flashed in his mind as he zipped up the last of his things and picked up the dress from the floor.

He looked around to be sure he had everything and left the room. Opening his phone, he called information as he walked toward the elevator.

"Yes, I need to know when the next flight to New York is leaving?" he inquired, hefting his bag more securely in one arm.

He listened a minute. "Great," he said. "I'll be there."

He put the phone in his pocket and checked his watch. He had enough time for a stop before he left.

Ally walked slowly down the hall and stopped at his door. Raising a hand, she knocked slowly and nervously waited.

After a minute, she knocked again.

Puzzled, she leaned closer to the door to try and see through the peephole. It was then that she noticed something next to the door. Stooping, she touched it.

It was her lavender dress. The heels she had worn were sitting next to it.

Balancing the container of coffees she held in one hand, Olivia opened the door to the bullpen. She smiled at the sight that greeted her. Files were opened on Elliot's desk, the chair was pushed away, and a flowered lei hung from her desk lamp.

Grinning, she looked around for her partner.

"Hey, where's the coffee?" Munch asked, stepping up behind her.

"Right-" She turned to him with his cup and stopped when she saw him, bursting into laughter.

John's eyes twinkled with amusement as he took the cup from her hand. He was wearing a white lei around his neck. "I thought I'd try out the island look."

She shook her head, laughing. Fin came up behind him and reached around Olivia for his coffee.

"You should have seen Cragen earlier," he said. "Elliot convinced him to wear his like a headband….makes me wish I had a camera." He grinned. "That would make some great blackmail ammunition."

"You don't have the balls, Fin." The familiar voice made Olivia's smile widen and turn back around.

Elliot stood grinning beside his desk. The vacation had obviously agreed with him; he had a tan that made her envious. His blue eyes seemed brighter, but it could have just been because she hadn't seen them in over a week.

"Hey!" she said, grinning. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," he said, grinning teasingly. "I can see you missed me." He looked disgustedly at the pile of files on his desk, making her laugh. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Get me coffee?"

"Of course," she answered, handing him a cup. She raised her eyebrows, grinning. "Sorry, no breakfast. I'm not **that** happy to see you!"

He smirked wryly at her as he sipped his beverage. A small grin tugged the corners of his mouth, but he forced himself to keep his composure as he sat down.

"So how was the trip?" she asked, as she began working on a file of her own. "Captain says you owe him pictures, by the way."

When there was no answer, she looked up and saw that he was watching her intently. "What?" she asked.

He shrugged innocently, a grin on his face. She looked at him suspiciously. Having seen that smile before, she knew what it meant. He had something up his sleeve. She raised her eyebrows cautiously and dropped her pen.

"Okay, what did you do?" she asked. She began looking around her desk in alarm. "Did you put glue on my chair again?"

It was then that Olivia noticed something she hadn't before. A small white box was sitting beside her pencil sharpener. Lifting her eyes to his again, she saw that his grin had widened.

"What is this?" she asked, picking it up. She eyed it cautiously, and then looked at him. "It's not going to explode on me, is it?"

He watched as she opened it up. She gasped, all amusement gone from her face, and looked at him with an expression of astonishment.

"Oh, my…." She could hardly speak. Out of all the things in the world, she certainly wasn't expecting this. "Elliot…."

Gasping again, she carefully lifted up the delicate silver chain. The small turquoise teardrop pendent reflected off of the light, making it sparkle.

He smiled warmly as he watched her struggle to speak. She looked absolutely stunned.

"It's an aquamarine," he said, when she looked at him after once again failing to be able to speak. "The natives of Hawaii hold it as the highest symbol of friendship, because the stone is rare and will last forever."

Olivia shook her head, her eyes watering slightly. "I…" she said, her voice wavering. She shook her head again and carefully lowered the necklace back into the box.

She looked up at him, her face glowing. "It's gorgeous, Elliot," she said. "Thank you."

He was surprised when she jumped up suddenly and came around the desk. She stepped around his chair and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she repeated, looking into his smiling face.

"Hey, hey," Munch said from his desk. He had been watching the whole thing. "No fraternization between partners." He was smiling playfully.

Elliot laughed. Olivia wiped her eyes quickly and chuckled, coming back around to her side of the desk.

"Shut up, John," she said.

She tried to concentrate on her file. After a minute, she dropped her pen loudly. Elliot looked up from his file in amusement and raised his eyebrow.

"I was just teasing you, Elliot!" she said, her face flushed. She shook her head in embarrassment. "God, why in the world did you ….it must have cost a fortune!"

"Will you stop?" he asked, shaking his head in amusement. He chuckled. She looked so happy that she was almost shaking. He lowered his head down again.

After a minute, though, he raised it to look at her. "It's my way to say thank you," he said, startling her. Her head shot up and she looked at him in confusion. He looked at her intently. "For being someone I can count on."

Olivia looked surprised. She smiled warmly. "Well," she said after a minute. "Ditto to you."

"Hey, you never did answer," Fin suddenly called from across the room. Elliot looked over at him, smiling. "How was the trip?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Meet any honeys?"

Elliot scoffed. Olivia could swear she saw a blush rise on his face, and gasped. "Elliot!" she said in surprise. He looked at her in annoyance, the guilt plain on his face. She looked delighted.

He rolled his eyes. Ally flashed into his mind, and he couldn't stop the smile on his face as he remembered the things they had done together. "There were girls all over the place, Fin," he mumbled, picking up his pen. He ducked his head to hide his blush, which they all saw anyway. "The trip….the trip was interesting. Very interesting."

The three of them looked at each other knowingly, but didn't comment further. Cragen came out of the office.

"Fin, Munch," he said. "We've got a rape homicide on Lexington Avenue. CSU is already there…get their reports for the M.E." They nodded. "Olivia, Elliot….head down to Vincent Memorial. Rape victim just got admitted."

The four of them stood up. Elliot smiled, listening to Munch rambling to Fin about a man in black he had seen on Lexington once, as he followed after his partner.

When they returned a few hours later, there was a package sitting on his desk. He and Olivia shared mystified looks as he picked it up.

"Careful, it could have Anthrax," John couldn't resist throwing out. He grinned at the disgusted look his friend shot him.

Turning it over, Elliot saw that the postmark was from Hawaii. When he ripped open the package, a pair of gym shorts and a brown American Eagle t-shirt fell onto his desk.

**The End**

**Author's Note: **This was extremely difficult for me to write. I love Ally and hated that it had to turn out the way it did. Hopefully you all won't hate her….or me for that matter! Sorry if anyone was disappointed….but what happens in Hawaii stays in Hawaii!

Thanks for reading. Summer school is over in a week….YES! This story was a great way for me to unwind and bask in some good old-fashioned fun for a change. I am fully energized now and have started my next story. Elliot has been rejuvenated by the sun and is now ready to be tortured again….poor baby just can't win with me, can he? Hope you'll tune in.


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